Rick Tramonto

Chefs Plan Restaurant R'evolution in New Orleans

Filed under: Dining

New Orleans has been in the news this week as people look back on the city five years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Things are cooking in New Orleans and one sign of that is a new restaurant development company being formed by chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto. Both men are notable chefs in their own right with several restaurants, cookbooks and more to their credit. The culinary duo's new company is called Home on the Range: Folse Tramonto Restaurant Development LLC and Nation's Restaurant News reports that they will open their first joint venture, Restaurant R'evolution in the French Quarter's Royal Sonesta Hotel next year. Tramonto's who has been Chicago-based while running Tru, plans to split his time between the two cities.

The new restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and will serve in the dining room, bar, three private dining rooms, a 12-seat wine room, an exposition kitchen with 10 seats and a chef's table for another 12. The restaurant is being designed by The Johnson Studio of Atlanta, which designed Tru.

Tags: john folse, new orleans, restaurant revolution, rick tramonto

Fine Dining Chef Promotes Wendy's Salads

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

A well-respected Chicago chef has taken an unusual career turn, working as a brand ambassador for a fast food chain. Nation's Restaurant News says that Rick Tramonto, a fine-dining chef who founded the successful Tru restaurant with pastry chef Gale Gand, is now helping Wendy's to promote its new line of salads. Tramonto presented the salads to media at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, assembling Wendy's new Apple Pecan Chicken, Baja, BLT Cobb and Spicy Chicken Caesar salads.

Turns out Tramonto has a Wendy's past, his first cooking job was working with Dave Thomas at Wendy's. Tramonto will also be doing two online product briefings for bloggers next week. Tramonto recently left Tru but still has another restaurant Tramonto's Steak & Seafood as well as other projects including a cookbook. The NRN article points out that Tramonto isn't the first Chicago culinary king to take a fast food turn, Rick Bayless, chef-owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco, worked with Burger King in 2003 to promote low-fat chicken baguette sandwiches.

Tags: fast food, Rick Tramonto, Wendys