Marc Murphy

Ask Chef Marc Murphy where he grew up and he will fire off a list of cosmopolitan destinations like Milan, Paris, Villefranche, Washington DC, Rome and Genoa and that's before he turned 12. For some, growing up the son of a globetrotting diplomat might have been stressful, yet for Murphy, this dizzying list of hometowns served as an excellent education in French and Italian cuisine, and afforded him the luxury of learning from a young age just how much he loved the world of cooking and of restaurants.

As Murphy tells it, he started cooking because he didn't have the funds to become a professional race car driver. Thus, he followed his brother to Peter Kumpa's New York Cooking School, now known as the Institute of Culinary Education. After a brief stint in Europe where he apprenticed in restaurants in France and Italy, he returned to New York and landed a job as a line cook at Terrance Brennan's Prix Fixe. He stayed for almost two years, working his way through every station in the kitchen and forging a professional bond with Brennan's Sous Chefs Joseph Fortunato and David Pasternak.

Eager to return to Europe, Murphy bought a plane ticket and a copy of the Michelin Red Guide, and upon landing, began knocking on the doors of some of Paris' most notable restaurants. He finally got a position at the one-star Le Miraville, where he stayed for one and a half years. Afterwards, he staged at the famed Louis XV in Monte Carlo, where Executive Chef Alain Ducasse was so impressed with Murphy's skills that he personally made arrangements for him to work with Sylvain Portay at Le Cirque once he returned to the U.S. Murphy still considers Portay to be his greatest teacher. "Sylvain was above all concerned with coaxing out the most vibrant, interesting flavors any ingredient had to offer, yet he insisted on minimal manipulation," he recalls.

After Le Cirque, Fortunato tapped him to work as a Sous Chef at Layla, Drew Nieporent's Middle Eastern fantasy in TriBeCa, where Georges Masraff acted as consultant. Then, when Masraff was invited by Joe Baum to help open Cellar in the Sky at Windows on the World, he recruited Murphy to serve as Executive Chef. After receiving critical acclaim, including a two-star review from the New York Times, Murphy headed uptown and back to French cuisine as Executive Chef of La Fourchette where the Times' critic Ruth Reichl awarded him another glowing two-star review, citing his "open desire to transform food [so that] in his hands, even a simple green salad ... Looks like a ruffled hat in a painting by Renoir."

In March 2004, Murphy opened his first solo enterprise with Landmarc [Tribeca], which won rave reviews both for its eclectic French and Italian menu as well as its highly untraditional wine list. Now Executive Chef and Owner of all the Benchmarc restaurants, which includes Landmarc [at the Time Warner Center] (opened May 2007) and Ditch Plains (opened May 2006), Murphy is hoping to continue growing his empire.

Today, Murphy's involvement in the industry moves beyond the restaurants as well, with a regular role as a judge on The Food Network's newest weekly hit, CHOPPED as well as appearances on IRON CHEF AMERICA, HOT CHEFS, THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW, MAKE MY DAY and THE TODAY SHOW among others. He is the Vice President of the Manhattan chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association, is a member of City Harvest's Food Council and is on the Advisory Boards of Culintro, Passport NYC at the 92nd Street Y and the Institute of Culinary Education.