David Burke
Fueled by passion, grit, and a knack for artful innovation, David Burke is one of the best-known and most respected chefs in modern American cuisine with his signature whimsical, boundlessly creative approach to food. In addition to being an internationally celebrated chef, Burke is a restaurateur, artist, philanthropist, businessperson, author, educator, art collector, US Patent holder, puppeteer, minister, beekeeper, and a doctor of business administration, honoris causa. David Burke Hospitality Management (DBHM) owns, manages, licenses, and consults with restaurants, hotels, clubs, and schools worldwide. Currently, Burke and his DBHM team operate or orchestrate the culinary component of 13 restaurants and a bakery. They also oversee a growing roster of David Burke-branded products, including cookware, bakeware, steak sauce, cutlery, and wine.
At just 26, Burke’s kitchen mastery won him the executive chef position of New York City’s legendary River Café, where he earned a prestigious three-star review from The New York Times. While at River Café, he became the first (and remains the only) American to win the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplôme d’Honneur, cementing his status as a leading chef on the global culinary stage. He subsequently won Japan’s Nippon Award for Excellence, and the Robert Mondavi Award of Excellence, all of which earned him a place in James Beard’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. Burke has been nominated twice for James Beard’s Best Chef and was a familiar face on the popular Top Chef TV show.
After opening several restaurants with the founder of the iconic Smith & Wollensky steakhouse brand, and having established a remarkable reputation, Burke set his sights on growing his brand. The first building block was the highly regarded David Burke & Donatella, which debuted in 2003. He founded a hospitality company that owned and operated numerous award-winning restaurants around the country. It was during this period that Burke gained US patents for several innovations, including his famous Himalayan salt dry aging process for beef.
Burke has continued to expand his restaurant portfolio considerably, while launching a new modern American steakhouse brand, Red Horse by David Burke brand of modern American steakhouses, with three locations.
In New Jersey, where he now has five restaurants and a bakery, he established the David Burke Scholarship at Brookdale Community College, for which his annual $10,000 donation pays the tuition for two students every year.
In addition to growing the national footprint of David Burke’s Dixie Lee Bakery by David with production for mail order, Burke is building out a waterfront restaurant in Palm Beach County; its 2025 debut will signal his entry into the Florida market, beyond what has been his New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina base.