Some chefs develop a passion for cooking at a very young age; such was the case with Chef Vincent Chirico who developed a passion from cooking with his grandmother. By the time he was 13 or 14 years of age he already knew that he wanted to work as a chef and started researching cooking schools in New York. They all told him that he needed to first graduate high school, then apply. 

Once he graduated high school, he immediately enrolled in a culinary program at the Culinary Institute of America, known in the industry as the "CIA." He spent one-year there learning techniques then left to pursue his dream of working in a restaurant. His first culinary job was at age 19 at the renowned New York restaurant Aquavit. He then went on to do stages in Europe, followed by working in other top restaurants across the country taking him from New York City to Chicago and to California. 

Along the way he honed his craft working with such notable chefs as Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Marcus Samuelsson, Rocco DiSpirito, Georges Blanc, Paul Bocuse, Michel Guérard, and Stephen Starr before going out on his own.  His advice to those seeking to pursue a culinary career is that it takes a bit of luck, passion, and it is important to work with the right people from whom you can learn. 

Chef/Owner Vincent Chirico 

An experienced restaurateur, Chef Vincent Chirico owned other well-received restaurants in New York City before opening The Luke Brasserie * Bar * Café in New Haven, Connecticut, which had its official ribbon-cutting on November 15, 2022. We had a wonderful dinner at The Luke on Saturday, November 26, 2022, where the culinary focus is contemporary Mediterranean cuisine and the ambience and service perfectly complement the quality of the food. The menu is designed for sharing, tapas style with a nice selection of wines offered by the glass as well as by the bottle, as well as creative, innovative cocktails that can stand alone or pair well with the food. 

The 152-seat, two-level restaurant is stunning with rich architectural details, fluted square columns, soaring coffered ceiling with elaborate medallions, which is what attracted Chef Vincent Chirico to the space. He initially had seen the property around 8 years ago, but the timing was not right until now. 

Moving to Connecticut allowed him to have a much larger restaurant than those he had previously owned in New York City. The Luke is a large and gorgeous restaurant that provides him with the ability to offer his guests different dining options from an intimate fine dining experience in the dining room, to well-crafted cocktails with interesting snacks at the intimate and inviting bar for those desiring a more casual ambience, as well as the opportunity to host large parties and events.

Chef Vincent Chirico graciously provides a delicious taste from The Luke Brasserie * Bar * Café with his recipe for Mascarpone enriched white polenta/soft egg/maitake mushroom/24-month Parmesan /fresh black truffle to tempt your palate into making a reservation at the restaurant. 

Mascarpone enriched white polenta /soft egg /maitake mushroom /24-month Parmesan /fresh black truffle
Recipe serves 4 

Ingredients:

Method: Cook polenta in water and cream until creamy and tender. Fold in the mascarpone to finish. Poach eggs until soft. Sauté maitake mushrooms. 

Presentation: Spoon polenta into a deep bowl. Top with sauteed maitake mushrooms. Add poached soft eggs in the middle. Finish by shaving Parmesan cheese and fresh black truffle. 

Until next time, Bon Appetit! 

Restaurant Location 

Location, location, location! The Luke is perfectly positioned near the corner of College and Chapel Streets, next door to the Shubert Theatre, and across the street from the College Street Music Hall, the restaurant is easily accessible by car with on-street (metered) parking as well as in nearby parking garages. It is also easily accessible by Metro-North train (to New Haven's Union Station) as it is only 1-mile from the station to the restaurant. 

You might also like to read about our dining experience at The Luke Brasserie * Bar * Café in the Restaurants section. 

For more information on The Luke Brasserie * Bar * Café please visit their website: www.thelukebrasserie.com. 

The Luke Brasserie * Bar *Café (located in the Taft Building)
261 College Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06510
United States
Telephone: +1-475-666-8001
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.thelukebrasserie.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lukebrasserie 

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