Michael Cimarusti

At his award-winning seafood-focused culinary concepts, Executive Chef and restaurateur Michael Cimarusti, winner of the 2019 James Beard Best Chef: West award, combines his knowledge and appreciation of the dynamic nature of seafood with an advocacy for sustainable fishing practices. Cimarusti’s acclaimed restaurant Providence, a bastion of Los Angeles fine dining for almost two decades, has yielded numerous James Beard Award nominations, two highly coveted Michelin stars, and a Michelin Green Star.

Cimarusti cultivated his reverence for ingredients in his experiences leading up to founding Providence in 2005. He dedicated six years to serving as executive chef at downtown L.A.’s famed seafood restaurant Water Grill, earning both glowing local reviews and a national reputation for his masterful approach to seafood. The New Brunswick, NJ, native was first lured to L.A. by Wolfgang Puck to become chef de cuisine at the celebrity chef’s original Spago. Cimarusti also worked notable stints at fine-dining institutions in the U.S. and abroad, including New York City’s Osteria del Circo, at which he served as opening chef de cuisine; the Michelin three-starred Arpège with Chef Alain Passard in Paris; and Le Cirque, the iconic New York City establishment from Restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, at which he had the opportunity to cook with renowned French Chefs Paul Bocuse, Roger Vergé, and Gérard Boyer.

His path for a storied culinary career was spurred from experience in his youth: fishing with his grandfather and learning the traditions of his Italian heritage from his grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s cooking. His most influential professional experience came just after graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, when he headed down the Hudson River to New York City to cook at An American Place with Chef Larry Forgione. Working garde manger, the young chef had access to the leading edge of the farm-to-table movement that would soon transform American cuisine. While working in Forgione’s kitchen, he also met his future wife and business partner, pastry chef Cristina Echiverri.

Today, Cimarusti and Echiverri operate Providence and Connie & Ted’s, the West Hollywood eatery they opened in 2013, which pays homage to Cimarusti’s grandparents and the simple, honest seafood cookery of New England. Outside of his restaurants, Cimarusti actively supports the Special Olympics and goes fishing with his two children.