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Hyde Park, NY – When the for New York were announced this week, two alumni from The Culinary Institute of America stood at the helm of the city’s Restaurant of the Year. CIA grads��Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, along with partner Jeff Zalaznick, earned the coveted award for , their popular Manhattan-based venue housed in the former Four Seasons space.

“Mario and Rich are great examples of the entrepreneurial spirit our graduates are bringing to the food world,” said CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan. “It’s gratifying to have not only one, but two CIA alumni leading Eater’s Restaurant of the Year.”

Former CIA classmates Carbone and Torrisi joined Zalaznick in 2010 to form acclaimed restaurant and hospitality company Major Food Group, whose nine concepts include The Grill and a pair of Michelin-starred restaurants, Carbone and ZZ’s Clam Bar in New York.

Eater’s annual celebration of top talent honors “the restaurants and chefs that stood out above the rest...that have driven the conversation and impressed the hordes in dining this year.” And The Grill has certainly done all that and more since its opening last May. The editors at Eater had high praise for its top New York City restaurant: “The food’s fantastic. The service is chatty yet fancy. Dining there feels like old-school New York luxury, and though it’s been a destination for celebrities, even the common folk who save up to eat there can feel like a Kennedy.”

Eater’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Winner for All-Day Restaurant of the Year was , whose chef is CIA graduate Carmen Quagliata. Daily Provisions is a part of Danny Meyer’s world-renowned Union Square Hospitality Group.

Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:

Michelin-starred chefs and CIA alumni Mario Carbone (left) and Rich Torrisi, co-owners of The Grill, named 2017 New York City Restaurant of the Year by Eater. The former CIA classmates and a third partner, Jeff Zalaznick, have created a thriving New York restaurant empire with their nine-concept Major Food Group. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Major Food Group)

Media Contact:

Jeff Levine
Communications Writer
845-451-1372
Jeff.Levine@culinary.edu

Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degrees in management, culinary arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, and associate degrees in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. The college also offers executive education through its Food Business School along with certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of nearly 50,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food business. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.

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