Joey Altman is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 chef

Chef

A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...

, restaurateur

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

, TV host

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

 and writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

.

Personal History

Altman grew up in the Catskills in New York, where his mother worked at Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel

Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel

Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a resort in the Catskill Mountains in the Town of Liberty, near the village of Liberty, New York. It is part of the Borscht Belt. After decades of activity and notable guests, it closed its doors in 1986.-History:...

. As a child he wanted to be a magician, a stunt man, musician or an actor.

He earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management

Hospitality management

Hospitality management is the academic study of the hospitality industry. A degree in Hospitality management is often conferred from either a university college dedicated to the studies of hospitality management or a business school with a department in hospitality management studies...

 at the Sullivan County Community College

Sullivan County Community College

Founded in 1962, Sullivan County Community College ' is a two-year public community college sponsored by the State University of New York SUNY and Sullivan County, New York. It is also fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools...

 in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Altman is an avid blues guitarist, performing with the all-chef band "Back Burner Blues" for charity events. He is married, has three children, and lives in San Francisco.

Career

He trained under Chef Bernard Constantin at the Hotel Larivoire in Lyon, France and also for Jean Brouilly at Tarare in Britany. He worked for Bob Kincaide at the Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...

. In 1985 he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

 to work for Emeril Lagasse

Emeril Lagasse

'Emeril John Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as “Kick it up a notch!” and...

 at Commander's Palace

Commander's Palace

-History:It was built in 1880. It is located in the Garden District of Uptown New Orleans , and is owned by the Brennan family. It has long been one of the best regarded upscale restaurants in the city. Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse are two of its most famous alumni who have worked in its...

.

In San Francisco he worked for Jeremiah Tower

Jeremiah Tower

Jeremiah Tower is an American celebrity chef who, along with Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, and Jonathan Waxman, is generally credited with developing the culinary style known as California cuisine.-Biography:...

 at Stars

Stars (restaurant)

Stars was a landmark restaurant in San Francisco, California from 1984 through 1999. Along with Spago, Michael's and Chez Panisse it is considered one of the birthplaces of California Cuisine, New American cuisine, and the institution of the celebrity chef....

 and Taxi, and also served as a private chef at music promoter Bill Graham

Bill Graham

William Carvel "Bill" Graham, PC QC is a former Canadian politician, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Leader of the Opposition and interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Personal life:...

's concert venues, before gaining prominence as the opening chef at Miss Pearl's Jam House, a popular restaurant at the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco's Tenderloin District

Tenderloin district

Tenderloin District may refer to:*Tenderloin, Manhattan*Tenderloin, San Francisco, California...

. He owned and ran Wild Hare Restaurant in Menlo Park, California

Menlo Park, California

Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...

 from 1999 to 2003.

Beginning in 2002 Altman was spokesman for Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, a wine division of Diageo

Diageo

Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....

.

Television career

Altman has hosted a number of television food shows. At the Food Network

Food Network

Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....

 he hosted "Appetite for Adventure", which demonstrated outdoor travel cooking, and "Tasting Napa", a travelogue

Travel documentary

A travel documentary is a documentary film or television program that describes travel in general or tourist attractions in a non-commercial way....

. He was the host of "What’s Cooking with Joey Altman" on Shop at Home Network

Shop at Home Network

The Shop at Home Network was a television network in the United States Before its acquisition by Jewelry Television in 2006, The E. W. Scripps Company owned and operated the network from 2002 until 2006, when the network temporarily ceased operations on June 21...

. In 1998 he launched the long-running "Bay Cafe", which features on-location and in-studio cooking demonstrations with guest chefs from around the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

, California.

External links

• joeyaltman.com - official site