David Ruggerio

Oh yes, my friends, at one point in my life, I was a much-celebrated celebrity chef. I honed my culinary skills in France at several of the country's leading restaurants. Among them, the Hotel Negresco with Jacques Maximin; Moulin de Mougins with Roger Verge; Les Pres d'Eugenie with the mythic Michel Guerard, and l'Auberge du Pont de Collonges with the iconic Paul Bocuse. I was honored in 1995 by noted vintner Robert Mondavi as one of the best thirteen Rising Star Chef in America, in the first year of this national awards program. My experience also includes being the chef and partner of Pierre Cardin's New York Maxims. Yes, that's the same Pierre Cardin with cologne and everything else in the world! With Cardin, I was instrumental in the expansion of Maxim as a brand in restaurants and hotels. I also was the executive chef of the famed Le Caravelle ( I was only 25 at the time-go and figure) and executive chef and owner of Park Avenue's Le Chantilly. All three restaurants received num