Chef Timothy Grandinetti, C.E.C.
A Culinary Journey: from 3rd & Union St. to the Islands, Italy, Japan & beyond…
Previous to Grandinetti’s success with Marriott International, he gained valuable experience as a leader on an opening task force with Lettuce Entertain You, Inc. where he played an instrumental role in bringing the newly created conceptual restaurant, “Big Bowl” to the Mid-Atlantic Region. Chef Grandinetti’s work experience also included an externship with world-renowned Chef David Kendrick at Kendrick’s Restaurant in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, post-graduation from the Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, NY with a B.S. in Hotel/Restaurant Management.
Grandinetti’s culinary career seems to have been pre-destined: his Great Grandfather, Antonio Bucci, arrived in NYC from Naples, Italy in the early 1900′s. In 1908, the Bucci family opened a grocery market in Hudson, NY; followed by La Bella Napoli Restaurant.
Chef Grandinetti promotes and supports sustainable food systems; the enhancement of economic opportunities for farms; and the stewardship of our environment. In the Fall of 2006, Chef Grandinetti represented Missouri, as a delegate to the Slow Food’s Terra Madre 2006 program in Turin, Italy. Terra Madre included: 1500 food communities from 5 continents, 5000 farmers, breeders, fishermen and traditional food producers, 1000 cooks and 200 universities – gathered together in Turin to share experiences and discuss the concept of agriculture and how it relates to good, clean and fair food.
In the Spring of 2007, Chef Grandinetti was invited to Japan, to facilitate culinary training for the U.S. Navy and Japanese culinarians as part of the partnership between the American Culinary Federation and the U.S. Navy. Yokuska, Japan is home to America’s most important naval facility in the Western Pacific, and the largest, most strategically important overseas U.S. Naval installation in the world. Traveling through Japan – the cities of Yokuska, Kamakura, Yokohama & Tokyo – Chef Grandinetti completed a stage at the Renaissance Tokyo Ginza Hotel receiving superior culinary training and experiencing the best culinary experiences Japan has to offer.
In 2006 & 2007, Chef Grandinetti was appointed by Governor Matt Blunt to represent the great state of Missouri in the Food Network’s Challenge series: The Great American Seafood Cook Off, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In addition, he has been the recipient of prestigious awards including: Marriott’s Award of Culinary Excellence, Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Chef’s Culinary Award; R.I.T’s tradition-rich Alumni Entrepreneurial Award; and numerous American Culinary Federation sanctioned medallions, diplomas and certificates.
