James Bellicchi

My name is James Bellicchi. I am an NYC based chef looking to serve thoughtfully prepared honest food
to the local community. I was raised in Boston MA, spending my formative years in the Harvard Square
area. I moved to New York City in 1997 after earning an associates degree in Culinary Arts from the New
England Culinary Institute in Montpelier,VT.
Throughout my career I have worked in some of New York’s finest restaurants (Gramercy Tavern, AZ
restaurant, the 21 Club. I recently left my position as executive chef for a large investment bank. Running
a large operation dictates that I would mostly direct and rarely get the opportunity to cook. Though I am
able to handle the stresses of the job, I look forward to being able to create and execute great food with
my own two hands.
I love to cook for family and friends, preparing everything from simple outdoor barbeques to multi-course
sit down dinners. I am proficient in the cuisines of Italy, Japan, and France but feel comfortable working
with unfamiliar recipes and foods. I prefer to cook with local/seasonal products, letting the ingredients
speak for themselves, I also see the value in preparing dishes following a recipe as I always find I learn
something new in the process. My mother was a well-known macrobiotic chef in the mid 60’s - 80’s. She
studied under Michio Kushi (the father of the macrobiotic food movement in the US) and Hiroshi Hayashi
(Master Japanese Chef) with whom I worked 10 years later at the age of 15. Working with Chef Hayashi, I
was exposed to the simple, clean style of Japanese cuisine, as well proper knife skills, both of which have
served me very well throughout my career. I am passionate about serving great food and helping the
community around me
Best
James J. Bellicchi