Tom Cunanan
Tom Cunanan | |
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| Education | The Art Institute of Washington |
| Culinary career | |
Current restaurant(s)
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Award(s) won
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Tom Cunanan is a Filipino American chef in Washington, D.C.
Early life
[edit]Cunanan immigrated from the Philippines to the United States at the age of three, growing up in Hyattsville, Maryland as the sixth of seven children.[1] He went to Northwestern High School and through the Boys & Girls Club, he got a job as a dishwasher and bar-back at Corduroy, a restaurant on K Street in Washington, D.C.[2] After high school, he enrolled in the culinary school at The Art Institute of Washington.[1]
Culinary career
[edit]Cunanan gained experience in kitchens across D.C., including Jeffrey Buben's Vidalia, Nicholas Stefanelli's Bibiana, and Ardeo + Bardeo, where he was executive sous chef.[3] When Cunanan's mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, he worked with her to write down her recipes for Filipino cuisine, forming the basis for a catering business.[4]
In 2014, Cunanan met Filipino American restaurateurs Nick Pimentel and Genevieve Villamora, who were developing plans to open a Filipino restaurant.[3] With the help of a Kickstarter campaign, the three opened Bad Saint in 2015 in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C.[4][5]
Bad Saint was recognized by Bon Appétit magazine as one of the best new restaurants in the country in 2016.[6] Pete Wells of The New York Times gave the restaurant a three-star review, writing that "the food that Tom Cunanan and his cooks prepare under columns of wok smoke is richly compelling no matter how many prior run-ins you’ve had with Filipino food."[7] Eater named it one of the 38 essential restaurants in America in 2017.[8]
After being a finalist in 2017 and 2018, Cunanan won the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.[9]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Chef Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint - Biography". StarChefs. October 2018.
- ^ Nnamdi, Kojo (May 1, 2019). "James Beard Award-Nominated Chefs Kwame Onwuachi And Tom Cunanan In Conversation". The Kojo Nnamdi Show.
- ^ a b Frederick, Missy (October 22, 2014). "Tom Cunanan to Lead the Kitchen at Upcoming Filipino Restaurant Bad Saint". Eater DC.
- ^ a b Williams, Erin. "Memories on the Menu". Edible DC. No. 2017 Spring.
- ^ Nick Pimentel; Genevieve Villamora. "Bad Saint - Filipino Food in Washington, DC". Kickstarter.
- ^ Knowlton, Andrew (August 16, 2016). "Bad Saint is the #2 Best New Restaurant in America 2016". Bon Appétit.
- ^ Wells, Pete (November 29, 2016). "Filipino Food Worth the Wait at Bad Saint in Washington". The New York Times.
- ^ Rojas, Warren (November 8, 2017). "Bad Saint Is One of the 38 Essential Restaurants in America". Eater DC.
- ^ Spiegel, Anna (May 6, 2019). "Two DC Chefs Win Big at the 2019 James Beard Awards". Washingtonian Magazine.