One of New York’s first and most acclaimed devotees of “greenmarket cooking”, Chef Bill Telepan has schooled at some of the world’s top kitchens. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he apprenticed with the legendary Alain Chapel at his Three-Star Michelin restaurant outside Lyons. Under Chapel, he honed his culinary skills, and acquired an appreciation for cooking locally and seasonally.
On his return to New York in the early 90′s, Bill trained with Daniel Boulud at Le Cirque and Gilbert Le Coze at Le Bernardin. Subsequently, he was hired by Alfred Portale at Gotham Bar & Grill, where he was the executive chef for four years. He moved on to become the executive chef at Ansonia.
In 1998, Bill joined JUdson Grill as the restaurant’s Executive Chef. His cuisine helped earn the restaurant a Three-Star review from The New York Times. He remained at JUdson until 2004. That same year, his cookbook Inspired by Ingredients was published by Simon & Schuster.
The following year, Bill opened his eponymous Telepan restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The restaurant allows Bill to showcase his simple and balanced approach to cooking and has earned him a loyal following and accolades including a Michelin Star, a glowing two-star review from The New York Times and the title of “Best Newcomer” in the 2007 Zagat survey.
Since 2008, Bill has been the Executive Chef of Wellness in the Schools (WITS), a non-profit organization dedicated to making school food healthy. In 2009, Bill was honored with a selection to First Lady Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to School task force and preliminary conferences. Bill currently lives on the Upper West Side with his wife and daughter.
