Tabletop As A Signature – New York Chef John DiLeo

Chef John DiLeo Since graduating from the famed Culinary Institute of America, New York’s Chef John DiLeo has been creating great tabletop theater in a variety of venues from Pittsbugh to Moscow.

The tabletop we set is oten the first thing guests notice when they sit down to dine in our retaurant, setting the tone for the entire meal. And, in the end, our tabletop becomes a representation of ourselves – or part of our signature.

I am sitting at a table, when I open my eyes, the table is set with small earthen colored share plates, bamboo cups holding napkins and small dishes holding not sea salt but togarashi….I must be at an Izakaya or some type of Asian inspired restaurant! How you set your table and what you serve your food on should tell a story or at least give a hint of what’s to come. This is how a restaurant’s brand or style is reinforced!!

Fine dining in my opinion is white china only with some glass pieces as accent. The focus here is to show the food using different shapes and some special service pieces to add a little theater to the service. This would not be the case however with tea service, where intricately designed plates with gold leaf and floral patterns would set the mood.

Concepts based on French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, what have you should be accented by traditional or pieces specific to those regions or foods. Think copper pans, cazuelas, tajines, wood platters, the list goes on and on. Some concepts might focus on the spaces architectural elements by using similar materials such as brick (clay), glass and tile as service pieces. Concepts can also have some fun, think of New York based Chef/Owner David Burke and some of the whimsical things he’s done over the years using stands, bottles, even toys to present his food and concepts!

In the end, what we present on our tables is really a representation of ourselves and a signature of our work. John DiLeo bio
John DiLeo’s fascination with the culinary arts started at an early age, while cooking at his Great Aunt’s side in his family’s Long Island home. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, Chef DiLeo worked with such culinary talents as Christian Delouvrier, Jean Jacques Rachou, and Ed Brown. John has helped open a diverse array of restaurants such as Zoe (NYC), Steelhead Grill (Pittburgh), Brant Point Grill (Nantucket), and the Marriott Grand Hotel (Moscow), while also re-establishing such classics as Restaurant Lafayette (NYC) and The Grand Tier at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

John joined China Grill Management in 2007 and has held a variety of positions from Executive Chef at Hudson Cafeteria to team leader in the conversion to Tanuki Tavern at The Gansevoort Hotel and the opening of Carte Blanche.