The rise of celeb chef and restaurateur, Mario Carbone: his restaurant is beloved by celebs like Kim Kardashian and Drake, and he shared his famous spicy rigatoni vodka recipe on Jimmy Fallon’s show
His successful restaurants include eateries Carbone, Sadelle’s, Parm and Dirty French, among others, and the restaurateur also has several restaurants internationally.
What’s Mario Carbone’s culinary background?
Per Sadelle’s website, Carbone was born and raised in Queens, New York. The Italian American chef attended The Culinary Institute of America and worked as an apprentice at Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo before joining the opening team at Lupa Osteria Romana in Greenwich Village. He’s also worked at a small family-run restaurant on the western coast of Tuscany called La Dogana.
Upon returning to the US, Carbone learned classic French cuisine from renowned restaurateur Daniel Boulud, before working with his ‘mentor’ Mark Ladner at Del Posto, per the same website.
How did Mario Carbone start the Major Food Group?
In 2009, he opened a deli called Torrisi Italian Specialties alongside partner Rich Torrisi, where the duo served their own take on Italian American sandwiches before it evolved to offer an innovative prix fixe dinner in the evenings. A year later, Carbone and Torrisi teamed up with former investment banker Jeff Zalaznick to form the hugely successful MFG – the company that eventually spawned Carbone’s culinary empire.
Commenting on whether he envisioned the success of MFG today in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2022, Carbone said “I don’t think we had any idea how it was going to happen,” before adding, “But if you would’ve told me and Rich in our late 20s, you guys were going to be f****** big, you’re going to be huge, we would’ve been like, ‘Yeah, you bet your ass.’”
What are Mario Carbone’s signature dishes?
New York’s Carbone received a Michelin star in 2013 before losing it in 2022, according to Robb Report, but continues to deliver classic Italian American comfort food dishes that are clearly still a hit with punters, including its famous ragu, ravioli, calamari, puttanesca, shrimp scampi, lobster fra diavolo and veal Parmesan.
Its most famous dish? Probably the spicy rigatoni alla vodka, loved by celebs and civilians alike.
It’s so popular that Carbone even turned up to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to share his recipe last November, much to fans’ delight.
Why is the restaurant Carbone so popular with celebs?
Harper’s Bazaar also noted that thanks to the staff’s discretion and the restaurants’ ultra-dark interiors, privacy is a key reason for Carbone’s popularity, saying, “If a spot is good enough for JLo, fellow A-listers are sure to follow.”
Who is Mario Carbone dating?
According to The New York Times, Carbone is attracted to his 34-year-old girlfriend’s “social ability” and “the way she controlled a room”. He’s also influenced her to pick up backgammon and said that having a partner who is ambitious “and is just as passionate about what they do is a beautiful thing.”
- The Italian-American chef previously trained with Daniel Boulud before joining forces with Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick to form New York-based Major Food Group
- His hit restaurant Carbone hosts celeb regulars including Selena Gomez and Rihanna, and even turned Justin and Hailey Bieber away when they came without a booking