Mike Colameco

Restaurant industry veteran, chef, author and TV host Mike Colameco is the host and producer of the popular and enduring TV show Mike Colameco’s Real Food. A pioneer of modern food television, the long-running series first aired on New York’s flagship PBS affiliate WNET over two decades ago, and in 2014 was picked up for national distribution, airing year round on the CREATE TV channel. Colameco has also hosted weekly radio show Food Talk since 2006, and is a long time contributor to Smooth, Edible New Jersey, Saveur and Guitar Aficionado magazines. In 2009 he published his critically acclaimed book Mike Colameco’s Food Lover’s Guide to New York City with John Wiley & Sons.

Colameco worked at some of the best known restaurants in New York City after graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in January 1982, including Tavern on the Green, The Maurice, Windows on the World (Cellar in the Sky) and The Four Seasons Restaurant. By the time he was 31 he was working at The Ritz-Carlton Central Park South as executive chef before going on to open his own seasonal restaurant.

In 2000 he began producing and hosting Mike Colameco’s Real Food. Shot documentary-style, the show changed the face of food television, providing a backstage look at how influential figures in the restaurant scene transform the way we all think about food.