Bill Telepan

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Mr. Telepan furthered his formal education at some of the world’s top kitchens.  In 1990, he apprenticed with the legendary Alain Chapel at his eponymous restaurant, a Michelin three-star in a small town outside Lyons.  During his tenure there, Mr. Telepan honed his skills and acquired an old-world respect for rigorous discipline and the integrity of fresh ingredients.  Returning to New York, Mr. Telepan trained with Daniel Boulud at Le Cirque and Gilbert Le Coze at Le Bernardin.  In the mid-90s, Mr. Telepan spent four years as the executive chef at the Manhattan institution, Gotham Bar & Grill with Alfred Portale.  He moved on to the executive chef position at Ansonia, where he worked for 1½ years.
 
Mr. Telepan joined JUdson Grill in 1998, elevating the restaurant to a new level, earning JUdson its glorious three-star rating from the New York Times.  In that review, Ruth Reichl described Bill Telepan’s cooking as “extremely eloquent; each of those unassuming dishes roar with flavor, and the minute you finish one bite you instantly want another.  His direct style draws diners into a vibrant interplay of textures, tastes and colors.”  As Jonathan Gold wrote in his December 2002 review for Gourmet Magazine, chef Bill Telepan’s cooking is “like listening to a Haydn string quartet doubled at the octave. This is pretty much exemplary of Telepan’s cooking at its best: grounded in an American classic but lifted beyond it by absolute devotion to the quality and sourcing of produce, the smack of sharp fragrance, and the confidence to exploit subtle variations in flavor and texture.” 

Inspired by his exceptional reviews and strong following, Mr. Telepan has written a book entitled “Inspired by Ingredients” to present his unique cooking style and most popular recipes.  The book is published by Simon and Schuster and was released in November 2004. He also serves on the Chef’s Advisory Board of the Institute of Culinary Education, City Harvest’s Restaurant Board, and a board member of Wellness in the Schools. 

In December of 2005, Mr. Telepan opened his eponymous restaurant ‘Telepan’ at 72 west 69th Street on the Upper West Side. A fine dining establishment that gave Mr. Telepan the freedom to produce the dishes that his decades of experience had granted. The public responded in kind and amongst the accolades, Telepan was voted “Best Newcomer” by the Zagat Guide for 2007 and then number 27 in the list of New York’s “50 Most Popular Restaurants” for 2008.