William Todd English (born August 29, 1960) is an American

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in Books, printed publications. While telev ...

, restaurateur, author, and television personality, based in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He hosted the TV cooking show, ''Food Trip with Todd English,'' on PBS. In 2005 he was a judge on the PBS show '' Cooking Under Fire''. His life and career received a chapter in '' Super Chef'' by Juliette Rossant, who had written previously about English for the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. Todd English also works as lead chef for

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

(US).

Early life and career

English was born in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

, grew up in

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and a suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's 7th most populous city. It is the site of several corporate headquar ...

, and later

Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline New England town, town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, about east of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Regi ...

. He matriculated at Guilford College in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

on a baseball scholarship but quit and entered the

Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its main campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first to ...

in 1978 and graduated in 1982.Cf. Rossant (2004), p.95Atkinson, Kim
"Being Todd English"
, ''Boston'' magazine, May 2006 He worked under Jean-Jacques Rachou at New York's La Cote Basque, and then moved to Italy to work at several restaurants there. He returned to the United States at age 25 and served as the executive chef of the Italian restaurant Michela's in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, for three years, before opening the original Olives restaurant in 1989.

Personal life

English was married to Olivia Disch English, his classmate at the Culinary Institute of America. The couple has since divorced; they have three children. He was engaged to Erica Wang in 2009; however, their wedding was called off.

Restaurants

Olives

English's first restaurant, Olives, opened in the Charlestown neighborhood of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in April 1989. One of his employees, future restaurateur Barbara Lynch, has stated that English physically abused her during her time there. The restaurant's name is a tribute to his then-wife, Olivia. The food is "rustic Mediterranean," with a strong influence from

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...

. The restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by ''

'' magazine and has been honored as Best Food and Top Table by ''

Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by their high level of refined and elaborate food preparation techniques and displays of balanced meals that have ...

'' magazine. Olives is known for two signature desserts – a molten chocolate cake and a

vanilla bean Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not autogamous, so pollination is required to make the plants produce the f ...

soufflé A soufflé () is a baked egg dish originating in France in the early 18th century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word ''soufflé'' is the past participle of the Fr ...

– which must be ordered with the main meal. The Health Department has cited Olives for sanitation discrepancies and animal waste hazards. In October 1998, Olives opened in the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas; it closed in 2019. In May 2010, Olives was closed due to damage done by a

grease fire Fire classification is a system of categorizing fires with regard to the type(s) of combustion, combustible material(s) involved, and the form(s) of suitable extinguishing agent(s). Classes are often assigned letter designations, which can diffe ...

. This was the third time the Charlestown eatery was closed due to fire damage since 2001. In May 2012, the Charlestown Olives reopened. In June 2013, the Charlestown Olives closed for good. A second Olives was opened in 2001 at W New York - Union Square in Union Square,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, but was closed in 2015. In February 2013, Olives opened in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. The remaining Olives are the Atlantis Resort on

Paradise Island Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of (2.8 km2/1.1 sq mi), is just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself on the northern edge of the island of New Providence ...

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

, and the Ritz-Carlton Canal (hotel and resort) in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. In 2021, Olives opened in Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Figs

Figs is the name of two pizzerias in the Boston area, one in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and another in Charlestown (now closed). Figs offers authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas with very thin crusts, served on inverted sheet pans, as well as

salads A salad is a Dish (food), dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called ''salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of ...

and pastas. Figs won the "Hot Concept" award from ''

Nation's Restaurant News ''Nation's Restaurant News'' (''NRN'') is an American trade publication, founded in 1967. NRN covers the foodservice industry, including restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Me ...

'' magazine.

Other restaurants

English's other restaurants include: * The Beast by Todd English, at Area15 in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

* Bonfire, a

steakhouse A steakhouse, steak house, or chophouse is a restaurant that specializes in steaks and chops. Modern steakhouses may also carry other cuts of meat including poultry, roast prime rib, and veal, as well as fish and other seafood. History Choph ...

in Boston and New York * Todd English, an alternative restaurant aboard the luxury , and * BlueZoo, a restaurant at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

* Da Campo Osteria, in the Il Lugano Hotel in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, featuring views of the intracoastal waterway * Todd English, P.U.B in the Aria Casino in

* Todd English, P.U.B. in the Uptown Entertainment District in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

* Fig's at The Macys at the Gardens Mall,

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Palm Beach Gardens is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, approximately 80 miles north of Miami. Palm Beach Gardens is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 59,182 at the ...

* Plaza Food Hall at the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...

* Figs at 29 Fair in

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

* Tuscany at Mohegan Sun Casino in

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

* Ember Room in

* Taylor Sine's Pool Noodle House * Ça Va at the

Intercontinental Hotel InterContinental Hotels & Resorts by IHG is a British-American luxury hotel brand created in 1946 by Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. It has been part of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group since 1998. As of January 2023, there were 208 InterCont ...

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

, New York * MXDC, a Mexican restaurant in downtown

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

* The Food Hall, formerly Todd English Food Hall Manila or Food Hall by Todd English, in SM Aura, Taguig City,

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

** Flatterie ** The Grill ** Hook ** Pound * The Pepper Club in the downtown Las Vegas Arts District

Books

English has authored or co-authored four cookbooks: ''The Olives Table'', ''The Figs Table'', ''The Olives Dessert Table'', with Sally Sampson, and ''Cooking in Everyday English'', published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

and Time Home Entertainment Inc.

Net worth

As of 2020, English's net worth was $18.5 million. He was the ninth-highest-earning chef in the world.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:English, Todd American television chefs American male chefs 1960 births Living people American food writers American restaurateurs Businesspeople from Texas Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park alumni Writers from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Amarillo, Texas Chefs from Boston People from Sandy Springs, Georgia James Beard Foundation Award winners