"Some of the things I think I learned from that were very educational as far as just paying bills - the basics in dealing with a restaurant like that. It was just life - the education involved in running the organization, even on a small level." -- Todd English
William Todd English (born August 29, 1960) is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and television personality based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. He is best known for his restaurant, Olives, located in both Boston, Massachusetts, and Las Vegas, Nevada and his TV cooking show, Food Trip with Todd English, on PBS. Todd English is also the singer of a band, The Bitter End.
English was engaged to Erica Wang, but the planned wedding was canceled shortly before it was to begin.
"Having been to Europe and working and traveling there, the restaurants my wife and I remember were always off the beaten trail restaurants. So I tried to seek a little 'off the beaten trail,' but cool area.""I call it an old-fashioned seafood house for the new millennium. We are trying to update what we know as old fish houses and places like that, which are great, but I want to give it a new, fresh look with updated versions of the classics we all love.""I liked the energy of cooking, the action, the camaraderie. I often compare the kitchen to sports and compare the chef to a coach. There are a lot of similarities to it.""I played from the time I was seven years old. My father was my first baseman coach. I had opportunities that I never really pursued - with some Miami teams and a few larger colleges, and then I ended up bailing and began cooking.""I think a lot of people have a misconception of what the kitchen is about, but you know the grueling part of it is also the pleasure of it. That's why I think you have to have a certain mentality to understand what that is and be able to handle it.""I try to get them working. My older son is 10 and he's pretty interested. We had a dinner party the other night and he helped a lot. He helped peel asparagus; he hung out. It was great.""I'm definitely nervous and excited. I feel like I've been playing off-Broadway, not to say that Boston doesn't have a great theatre district or great theatre, but it's not going to Broadway; it's just a different city.""Like anything, you don't force kids to cook. It just becomes part of life - have them be around it, keep them informed - talk about it. I try to relay my passion for it in these ways. The second you try to force anything on your own kid, they rebel.""Turkey, unlike chicken, has very elegant characteristics. It has more of a cache than chicken. Turkey is a delicacy, so it should be presented in such a way.""We have a training period; we have certain guidelines and structure. You can't hire talented people and stifle them. That's not the way it works anymore."
English's first restaurant, Olives, opened in Charlestown, Massachusetts in April 1989. The restaurant's name is a tribute to his then-wife, Olivia. The food is "rustic Mediterranean," with a strong influence from Italian cuisine. The restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by Boston magazine, and has been honored as Best Food and Top Table by Gourmet magazine. Olives is known for two signature desserts - a molten chocolate cake and a vanilla bean soufflé - which must be ordered with the main meal. Olives has been cited by the Health Department for sanitation discrepancies and animal waste hazards.
In addition to the Boston restaurant, English holds a second Olives at the five-star Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. He alternates between both Olives restaurants on a regular basis.
English also works as lead chef for Delta Airlines (US).
Figs
Figs is the name of two high-end pizzerias in the Boston area. Figs offers authentic, Neapolitan-style pizzas with very thin crusts, served on inverted sheet pans, as well as salads and pastas. Figs won the "Hot Concept" award from Nation's Restaurant News magazine.
Other restaurants
English's other restaurants include:
Beso a Latino restaurant concept partnering with actress Eva Longoria-Parker in Los Angeles,and restaurant in Las Vegas
Tuscany, an Italian restaurant at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Connecticut
Kingfish, a seafood restaurant at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in downtown Boston
Bonfire, a steakhouse in Boston and New York
Todd English, an alternative restaurant aboard the luxury RMS Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria
BlueZoo, a restaurant at the Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Florida
Da Campo Osteria, in the Il Lugano Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, FL, featuring views of the intracoastal waterway
Todd English P.U.B in the CityCenter resort complex in Las Vegas, NV.
Wild Olives at The Shops at Boca Center in Boca Raton, FL
Wild Olives Cafe at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, FL
Plaza Food Court at the Plaza Hotel in New York, NY
English has authored or co-authored three cookbooks: The Olives Table, The Figs Table, and The Olives Dessert Table, all published by Simon & Schuster.
