Chef Bios: Graham Elliot

Born in Seattle in 1978 as a Navy brat, Chef Graham Elliot has lived all over the world. By the age of 17, Elliot had dropped out of high school and began working as a dishwasher and busboy for a couple years before attending culinary school at Johnson & Wales University.

Once he finished school, Elliot's first position was at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas under Chef Dean Fearing. Following his time there, Elliot moved across the country to Woodstock, Vermont where he worked at The Jackson House Inn & Restaurant. During his time here, Food & Wine Magazine named Elliot one of the Ten Best New Chefs of 2004. Inspired by one of his cookbooks, Elliot moved to Chicago to work at Charlie Trotter's, followed by time at Tru under Rick Tramonto, and then began work as Chef de Cuisine at Avenues in the Peninsula Hotel, where he was the nation's youngest four-star chef, at the time.

In May 2008, Elliot opened his first restaurant Graham Elliot, which has received one Michelin Star. He then opened his second restaurant Grahamwhich in 2010, also located in Chicago. Throughout his career, Elliot has made various TV appearances on Iron Chef America, The Today Show, Top Chef Masters, and MasterChef. More recently, Chef Elliot has been the Culinary Ambassador for Lollapalooza, a music festival in Chicago, where he cooked for festivalgoers as well as the musicians and performers at the event.

QUICKFACTS:
Culinary Style: Modern American
Restaurants: Graham Elliot, Grahamwich
Born: 1978

DID YOU KNOW?
Graham Elliot was born Graham Elliot Bowles, but changed his name professionally in 2010.