A Tomato Grows in Brooklyn for David Ruggerio

David Ruggerio

Celebrity chef David Ruggerio’s life story is one of redemption, sacrifice, and a new lease on life as an award-winning genre fiction writer. He is also the chef and partner at Pierre Cardin’s New York Maxims. Yes, it’s the same Pierre Cardin with cologne and everything else! During his tenure with Cardin, he helped expand Maxim as a brand in restaurants and hotels. He was the executive chef of the famed Le Caravelle (he was only 25 at the time-go and figure) and executive chef and owner of Park Avenue’s Le Chantilly. The three restaurants received numerous awards at the national level. The author of two acclaimed cookbooks, “Little Italy with David Ruggerio” and “David Ruggerio’s Italian Kitchen,” he hosted his own PBS cooking series and later hosted a TV Food Network cooking show called “Ruggerio To Go” (watch some episodes on my YouTube channel, they’re funny). Vertikal had the pleasure of interviewing him for his book, “A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters”, which was released on Halloween Eve of 2019. What better day to release a horror book? With two acclaimed cookbooks under his belt, David Ruggerio became known as a “Super Chef” and was called for television guest spots that quickly became opportunities. He hosted the iconic TV shows Ruggerio to Go on the Food Network, and Little Italy with David Ruggerio on PBS. Throughout his outstanding career as a chef, Ruggerio cooked for five US Presidents. Today, Ruggerio lives on the East Coast and spends his days writing mostly genre fiction. He is an Amazon bestselling author and the recipient of the Maxy Award for Best Horror 2019 for his debut horror novel, A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters. His second book of fiction, Say Goodbye and Goodnight released in June 2020, and A Prison Without Locks released in November 2020. Now, Ruggerio returns to Vertikal and his Italian roots with A Tomato Grows in Brooklyn. Ruggerio takes readers back to Brooklyn and introduces them to the Italian American experience and cuisine he knows, grew up with, and adores. Hear our interview with David Ruggerio.