David Burke (born February 27, 1962) is an American chef and restaurateur, known for his appearance on the reality TV program Iron Chef America.
Early life
Born in Brooklyn NY and raised in Hazlet, New Jersey, Burke is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a student at Culinary Institute Lenôtre in Plaisir, France. Burke has worked with legendary chefs in France and New York such as Pierre Troisgros, George Blanc, Marc Meneau, Daniel Boulud, Charlie Palmer and Waldy Malouf. Burke's mastery of French culinary technique and his unique American creativity were confirmed at the age of 26, receiving 3 Stars from the New York Times at The River Café. Burke was then chosen by his peers to represent the US at The International Culinary Competition, where he won France's coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur, the only American to ever achieve this honor. Burke also won the Nippon Award for Excellence from the government of Japan, for overall skill and technique. Burke remained Executive Chef at The River Café until 1992.
Career
In 1992, Burke opened the critically acclaimed Park Avenue Café with Smith & Wollensky CEO Alan Stillman, becoming vice president of culinary development for the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group four years later. In 2003, Burke branched out on his own to start his first ever proprietary and highly praised restaurant, davidburke & donatella. Since then, Burke's wide-ranging and innovative restaurant concepts have included establishments in Chicago, Foxwoods Casino (CT), Las Vegas and in Rumson, NJ, as well as New York City. Currently, as the principal of David Burke Hospitality Management, he operates or oversees the culinary direction of 17 restaurants in New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island and, among his newest restaurants, in Saudi Arabia. Eight of those restaurants opened during the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and April 2022. Among them, Burke stepped beyond the restaurant space with the May 2022 purchase of the 85-year old Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg, NJ. Owning a bakery has been a long-held dream of Burke's as a trained pastry chef and alumnus of the prestigious École Lenôtre Pastry School in Plaisir, France
Over the years, Chef Burke has become one of the most recognized chefs on television, including appearances on two seasons of Top Chef Masters, a guest spot on the Every Day with Rachael Ray show, NBC's TODAY Show, Bloomberg's small-business television series "The Mentor", and more. In addition, Burke has published two cookbooks, Cooking With David Burke (1999) and David Burke's New American Classics (2006) co-written by Judith Choate.
Burke was featured once during the second season of Iron Chef America in 2005, he lost by a small margin to Bobby Flay where the featured ingredient was lamb. In 2010, he was a competitor on the second season of Top Chef Masters, but did not move on to the Champions' Rounds. Burke also competed on Top Chef Masters Season 5. He was eliminated on Episode 9 in the Teacher Tribute challenge with his Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé with Orange Peel & Raspberry Sauce.
At the BLT Prime in the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., Burke has cooked steak for President Donald Trump, and disputed allegations that the President ate his steak with ketchup. He was rumored to be under consideration for the post of White House Executive Chef, but has stated that he would likely not be interested in the position.
Restaurants
Burke currently operates seventeen restaurants, primarily on the East Coast of the U.S. plus one in Saudi Arabia. Those locations include:
David Burke Tavern (New York City, NY) Woodpecker by David Burke (New York City, NY) Drifthouse by David Burke (Seabright New Jersey) The King Bar and Red Salt Room by David Burke (Garden City Hotel, Garden City, NY) David Burke Kitchen at The James Hotel (New York City, NY) David Burke Prime Steakhouse (Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut) Burke In The Box at McCarran International Airport (Las Vegas, Nevada) Grand Tavern by David Burke, Angad Arts Hotel (Saint Louis, MO) Ventanas (Fort Lee, NJ) 1776 on the Green by David Burke (Morristown, NJ) The GOAT (Union Beach, NJ) Red Horse (Rumson, NJ) Red Horse by David Burke (White Plains, NY) Fox and Falcon by David Burke (South Orange, NJ) David Burke KSA (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) Double Barrel Steak by Chef David Burke (Richmond, RI)