YEAR: 2006
It takes time to appreciate home-cooked meals, and the love and care that goes into them. So it was for Portale, who would trade the brown-bag lunches his mother packed for him as a child for more appealing fare like Hostess cupcakes. With time, however, came his recognition of the pure and unfettered flavors of what he calls “clean cooking,” making seasonal ingredients sourced locally a priority at Gotham Bar and Grill, where he became chef in 1985. Within six months, he elevated the restaurant from a zero star rating in the New York Times to three stars.
It wasn’t just the rating that he elevated. Initially, Portale, who had begun his adult career as a jewelry designer, created dishes that towered — literally — over other fare being offered in Manhattan at the time. Incorporating gravity-defying designs into his award-winning meals, Gotham’s menu items were the bane of the wait staff, whose job it was to deliver the wobbly creations to delighted diners. While those architectural wonders have since been replaced with more down-to-earth creations, one legacy that remains are the chefs who have benefited from Portale’s mentorship, including fellow Outstanding Chef Tom Colicchio.