Early life and career

English was born in Amarillo, Texas, grew up in Sandy Springs, Georgia and later Branford, Connecticut. He matriculated at Guilford College in North Carolina on a baseball scholarship, but quit and entered the Culinary Institute of America in 1978 and graduated in 1982.

He worked under Jean-Jacques Rachou at New York's La Cote Basque, and then moved to Italy to work at several restaurants there. He returned to the United States at age 25 and served as the executive chef of the Italian restaurant Michela's in Cambridge, Massachusetts for three years before opening the original Olives restaurant in 1989.

Personal life

English has been married once, to Olivia Disch English, his classmate at the Culinary Institute of America, but they divorced; the couple has three children. He was engaged to Erica Wang in 2009 but the wedding was called off.

Restaurants

Olives

English's first restaurant, Olives, opened in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston in April 1989. The restaurant's name is a tribute to his then-wife, Olivia. The food is "rustic Mediterranean," with a strong influence from Italian cuisine. The restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by Boston magazine, and has been honored as Best Food and Top Table by Gourmet magazine. Olives is known for two signature desserts - a molten chocolate cake and a vanilla bean soufflé - which must be ordered with the main meal. Olives has been cited by the Health Department for sanitation discrepancies and animal waste hazards.

In May 2010 Olives was closed due to damage done by a grease fire. This was the third time the Charlestown eatery was closed due to fire damage since 2001.

In May 2012, the Charlestown Olives reopened.

In June 2013, the Charlestown Olives closed for good.

A second Olives was opened in 2001 in New York City in Union Square, but was closed in 2015.

In February 2013, Olives opened in Mexico City. The only other remaining Olives is currently at the five-star Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.

Figs

Figs is the name of two high-end pizzerias in the Boston area, one in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and another in Charlestown. Figs offers authentic, Neapolitan-style pizzas with very thin crusts, served on inverted sheet pans, as well as salads and pastas. Figs won the "Hot Concept" award from Nation's Restaurant News magazine.

Other restaurants

English's other restaurants include:

• Beso, a Latino-concept restaurant in partnership with actress Eva Longoria, with venues in Los Angeles and Las Vegas
• Kingfish, a seafood Marketplace in Boston's Faneuil Hall (closed May 2012)
• Bonfire, a steakhouse in Boston and New York
• Todd English, an alternative restaurant aboard the luxury RMS Queen Mary 2 and MS Queen Victoria
• BlueZoo, a restaurant at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Florida
• Da Campo Osteria, in the Il Lugano Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, featuring views of the intracoastal waterway
• Todd English P.U.B in the CityCenter resort complex in Las Vegas, and a second location in the Uptown Entertainment District in Birmingham, Alabama.
• Fig's at The Macys at the Gardens Mall, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
• Plaza Food Hall at the Plaza Hotel in New York City
• Figs at 29 Fair in Nantucket, Massachusetts
• Tuscany at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
• Ember Room in New York City
• Ça Va at the Intercontinental Hotel in Times Square New York, NY
• "MXDC", an upscale Mexican restaurant in downtown Washington, DC
• Todd English Food Hall in Manila, Philippines

Books

English has authored or co-authored four cookbooks: The Olives Table, The Figs Table, The Olives Dessert Table, with Sally Sampson, and Cooking in Everyday English, published by Simon & Schuster and Time Home Entertainment Inc..

Awards

In December 2012, the Todd English, P.U.B. restaurant in Las Vegas was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]