Montauk Pioneer - October 10, 2008 - Montauk's "Iron Chef"

What does The Tipperary Inn, Nick's, Havana Beach Club, and Oceans Grillfish all have in common? Aside from being Montauk restaurants, they have all been the stomping ground of gourmet chef, Christopher Coleman. He has become something of a celebrity behind the scenes of the cooking world, also working at Claudios in Greenport and Tatianas in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

It would appear that Coleman is truly a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. In October, Coleman will begin shooting for the Food Network's series "The Iron Chef," as well as the Fox hit, "Hell's Kitchen." He will have the opportunity to compete against some of the nation's other top chefs fighting to earn their place in American culinary history. Alas, he was unable to discuss any details regarding the two TV shows - strict no comment policies. I guess we will all have to tune in to see exactly how those gifted hands look in action. All of Montauk will be rooting for our very own gourmet representative.

Coleman's journey to celebrity chef all began in Miami, Florida as a humble dishwasher at The Rusty Pelican. Coleman was attending the Florida Culinary Institute and he was eager to get some real cooking experience. Mr. Ross Siragusa, head chef at the Pelican, saw something in this enthusiastic, young aspiring chef. He agreed to take the 18 year old under his wing; teaching him the culinary ropes on Coleman's day off.

You guessed it, a chef was born.

Over the next three years, Coleman moved from dishwasher to line cook and his passion for cooking truly took root. During his time in Miami he also worked at Dick Clarke's American Bandstand Bar & Grill, The Cheesecake Factory, and for 7 years at the The Clevelander Hotel.

During this same period, Coleman found another, somewhat surprising use for his hands: boxing. He was the Golden Gloves champion for five years running during his amateur days and participated in 9 professional fights. In 1995, Coleman looked down at his bruised, bloody hands and became acutely aware of their greatest skill. Those hands were gifted creators of succulent cuisine and eye pleasing dishes. With that, Coleman set aside his boxing gloves and ran full throttle toward his culinary dreams.

In the late 90s, Coleman made a brave move and headed for the prestigious East End. "It was the best decision I ever made," he says with a smile. He started out working the summer season at The Tipperary Inn, in Montauk. In 2000 he made the East End his permanent home, and he has never looked back. Coleman's biggest break came two years ago when he was hired as private chef to Mr. Marc Packer; co-owner of TAO, Las Vegas and NYC, and LAVO, Las Vegas. In this position, Coleman has had the opportunity to cook for many of America's celebrities. Among them, David Hasselhof, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Begram Adam Hook (owner of Hawaiian Tropics). Coleman has also had the opportunity to cook for other renowned chefs; Eric Ripert, Rocco Di Spirito, Alfredo Ayala, and Ernie Lake (a top Puerto Rican Chef), among others. These occasions have given Coleman valuable exposure and set him on his path for true greatness in his field.

Coleman holds diplomas in Gourmet Cooking and Catering & Hotel and Restaurant Management from Thompson College as well as a double certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts from The Culinary Academy of Long Island. He is a member of both The American Culinary Federation and The World Association of Chefs and is a Certified Executive Chef. In November 2003, he won a bronze medal at the IH/MRS Chefs Championship competition at The Jacob Javits Center. During 2004/2005, Coleman was able to cook with many of the nation's top chefs through his membership in the James Beard Foundation. These chefs include Phillippe Boulet from the Heathman Hotel in Oregon and Chef Jeff Tunks from Ceiba in Washington D.C.

When asked what his favorite style of cooking is, Coleman replied with a resounding "American Bistro and Caribbean cooking with a Latino flare."