Grilled: Tap & Tapas

Tom Colicchio and Damon Wise, Craft

How do you stay in shape?
Tom Colicchio: I box three days a week at Mendez Gym.

Is David Chang overexposed and have you dinned at Momofuku Ko yet?
TC: [Laughing] Can you believe this one? No, I have not eaten at Momofuku Ko yet. If I can figure out that reservation system, I can get in.

Who is your mentor?
TC: It’s David Chang—isn’t he everybody’s mentor?

For real, you don’t have to say Tom…
Damon Wise: It’s a tough business—to run and own restaurants—and Tom is a prime example of somebody doing very well at it.

First New York restaurant job?
DW: I was working for a chef in Baltimore and he said if you are going to work for anybody in New York City you have to work for Tom Colicchio, so I came to New York and worked at Gramercy Tavern for eight months. It was a sort of culture shock for me and I quit after eight months.