User:MichaelQSchmidt/working/Joseph Ciminera

Joseph Ciminera is an American chef, author and television personality, as well as a film actor, director, producer and screenwriter. As a chef, he is the youngest recipient of the "Gross Bonnet" award from the European-American Culinary Council.

Background
Ciminera was born on the east side of New York City and raised in The Bronx. He wa introduced to cooking by his parenta and grandparents, and his culinary career began in 1991.

Cuisine
Ciminera is a chef, foodie and the host of Taste This TV, which airs on PBS. He has filmed over 200 episodes since 1999. His catchphrase is "There are no rules in cooking". He features atypical food pairings such as grilled chicken stuffed with pesto, potato flakes, and deli meat. Ciminera produces, directs, and hosts the show.

After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, Ciminera served a six-month apprenticeship at the Albergo Venezia Hotel in Milan, Italy, under Master Chef Vincenzo Provino. After which he moved back to New York City and worked in the kitchens of Le Cirque, Les Célébrités, and Le Petit Bijou, under master chefs such as Daniel Boulud, Christian Doulevere, Pierre Manor, Mike Depirito and Jean Louis Pallidan.

Author

 * 1) "In the Weeds: A Volume of Chef Tales", 2003, ISBN 1410789241
 * 2) "Joseph Ciminera’s New American Cooking", 2005, ISBN 0942407792

Recognition as chef
Joanne Starkey of The New York Times wrote "Ciminera sends out eye popping presentations from a break the mold menu..." Peter Gianotti of Newsday wrote "Ciminera has a whimsical approach to his dishes, he is clearly playing with tastes, textures and architecture work..." and his foods "visually vibrant with tastes that frequently rival the presentation." - Brian Salsbury of Modern Food Service Magazine wrote "Chef Ciminera is known for his Fly off the seat of his pants creation." Julia McCornick of Gourmet Magazine called Ciminera's meals ""out of the ordinary," and his presentations 'grand.'" - Mike Richards of Good Eats Magazine stated "Chef Ciminera is undoubtedly one of the most creative up and coming chefs today." -

Upon the 2011 premiere of the cooking show It’s All Greek! on ANT, when Joe Ciminera was assisting host Maria Loi, Greek Reporter referred to him as "famous". Of his first foray into television food shows, Ken Giustino wrote, "Move over, Emeril, Now Joseph Plays with Food," and "[Ciminera’s] quick wit combined with his good looks and exquisite skills make the cameras love him." Agenda New York wrote the Chef Ciminera, "has refined the Crescent's American cuisine bringing an ambitious, sometimes witty, always eye-catching style to his presentations." Of his Taste This TV cooking show, Produce News wrote "This show's host and chef, Joseph Ciminera, has teamed up with the best companies in the industry to deliver to the world the meaning of great food and fun."

Entertainment
Ciminera has also written, directed, produced, and starred in several televion cuilinary shows and full-length films, including the 2012 Sci-fi thriller Purification. His latest movie, Venial, was released to limited audiences in February 2015.

Television

 * Joseph Plays with Food (1999) as Host
 * Eat at Joes as Host
 * Taste This! (200+ episodes, 1999-2014) as Host
 * The Way to Go (1 episode, 2012) as Himself
 * Tales from the Dark (5 episodes, 2013) as Alien Leader

Film

 * Acedia (2012) as Devil
 * Purification (2012) as Bret Fitzpatrick
 * 6 Minutes of Death (2013) AS Orz
 * Apex Rising (2015) as Businessman
 * Venial (2015) as Father Peter
 * E19 Virus (2015) (filming)