As a decorated, respected, and charismatic chef, Todd English has received numerous accolades and awards throughout his illustrious career. English began his cooking career at the young age of 15. At 20, he attended the Culinary Institute of America and graduated in 1982 with honors. He continued to hone his craft with chef Jean Jacques Rachou at New York’s famed La Cote Basque. Turning his interests to Italian cuisine, English relocated to Italy where he apprenticed at the well-established Dal Pescatore in Canto Sull O’lio and Paraccuchi in Locando D’Angello. English returned to the United States at 25 and was invited to be the executive chef of the award-winning Northern Italian restaurant Michela’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served there as an executive chef for three years. In 1989, Todd opened his first restaurant, Olives, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. English went on to establish Olives as one of the most prestigious culinary brands in the country, opening additional locations at the iconic W Hotel in Union Square, New York.In the spring of 1991, James Beard Foundation named English their first National Rising Star Chef. The James Beard Foundation additionally named English the Best Chef in the Northeast in 1994 and inducted him into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America in 2004.Following the success of Olives, he created Figs, a more casual sister restaurant concept. There are currently five Figs locations. In 2007, his international travel and cooking series, Food Trip with Todd English, aired on PBS and featured English globetrotting in search of new local flavors and techniques. The series, currently filming its third season, has garnered two James Beard Awards as well as an Emmy nomination.To the delight of diners near and far, English brought the critically acclaimed European- inspired Todd English Food Hall to the iconic Plaza Hotel. English opened his first French-inspired restaurant, Brasserie Ça Va, in the heart of Broadway. He collaborated with his daughter Isabelle in Boston to open a dessert concept Isabelle’s CurlyCakes. A second outpost of Todd English P.U.B. opened Birmingham, AL, in 2013.