Geoffrey Zakarian

Geoffrey Zakarian (born July 25, 1959) is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author. He is the executive chef of several restaurants in New York City, Atlantic City, and Miami. Zakarian is featured on several television programs on the Food Network, including Chopped and The Next Iron Chef, where he won the right to join Iron Chef America in 2011. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Zakarian comes from an Armenian-American and Polish-American background. He graduated from Burncoat High School in 1977 and earned a degree in economics from Worcester State University. Afterward, he pursued his passion for cooking and trained under chef Daniel Boulud at Le Cirque. Zakarian started his culinary career with an associate degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.