Rich Torrisi

Partner

Rich Torrisi grew up in Westchester, New York. From a very early age he took to cooking. After years of making his way through local kitchens near his native Hudson River, Rich took the next step in his culinary career by attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. After a successful externship at Aquavit, Rich continued to hone his skills under Marcus Samuelsson for the next two years while completing his bachelor's degree at the CIA. Following his graduation, Rich began to work under Chef Andrew Carmellini at Café Boulud, who would became a mentor over the course of his career. Rich spent over four years at Café Boulud. At the end of his tenure at Café Boulud, he knew it was time for him to travel to France and cook in as many Michelin starred restaurants as possible. Upon returning home, Chef Carmellini called upon Rich to once again team up on a new project called A Voce. In 2009, with partner Mario Carbone, he opened a deli on Mulberry Street called Torrisi Italian Specialties, beginning what has become Major Food Group. In addition to the restaurants' numerous accolades, Rich has been awarded Best New Chef in America by Food & Wine Magazine and nominated for several James Beard Awards. Rich currently lives in the West Village.