Q & A with Porter House's & C-CAP Honoree Michael Lomonaco

Chef Michael Lomonaco, a veteran of the New York restaurant scene, helped pioneer New American cooking in this country.  He commanded the kitchen at the 21 Club and Windows on the World until 9/11.  Nowadays, Lomonaco is the chef/owner of Porter House, a classic American steakhouse, located in the Time Warner Center.

More importantly, chef Lomonaco’s accomplishments aren’t confined to the kitchen.  He’s also been a mentor with the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which awards culinary schools scholarships to high school students and helps them get jobs in the industry. This year, C-CAP is honoring Lomonaco for generous contributions to the program for the past twenty years.  The reception will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers this Wednesday, February 16th, with appetizers prepared by some of New York’s best chefs, including Michael White, Marcus Samuelsson and Dan Barber.

How long have you been involved with C-CAP?
I have been a supporter of C-CAP since the early ‘90s.

Did you attend culinary school?
I graduated from New York City College of Technology with a Degree in Hospitality Management in 1984.

As a young chef, who was your mentor?
Chef Patrick Clark was an early mentor and encouraged me to follow my passion into cooking; Chefs Alain Sailhac and Daniel Boulud were the two chefs from whom I learned the greatest amount. Both have been life-long  mentors and friends.

Do you mentor any young chefs in your own kitchen and in C-CAP? 
Yes, young chefs bring great enthusiasm to a kitchen and mentoring is both a responsibility to pass along experience and knowledge as well as push the industry forward. Best advice: keep your focus on the food and the guests needs.

What’s the greatest success story you’ve been involved in with young chefs  from C-CAP?
Seeing the scholarship winners not only go on to these prestigious schools, but also graduate and go on to their own careers—and mentor other young students—that is success

Why has it become so important to you to be involved in an organization that  gives scholarships to inner city kids with culinary talents?
We have a responsibility to lend a helping hand to others. Offering that kind of support makes the restaurant industry stronger and greater.

How do you make sure Porter House remains distinctive and even a cut above all the other steakhouses around town?
We are a chef- driven restaurant and we have a team of chefs and pastry chefs in the kitchen; we focus on one dish at a time, one guest at a time and work to raise the bar for ourselves in our goal to have the finest meat-centric dining experience possible. That’s why we have a wild game program.  We explore meats other than solely prime beef and prepare more variety of beef cuts rather than the same three cuts of beef everyone else does.

So is your favorite cut of meat actually the Porterhouse or do you also like a strip steak or prime rib?
The Porterhouse is the most hospitable cut of meat, intended to be shared, it is the essence of conviviality. Personally, when I tuck in I am wild about a dry-aged, prime cowboy rib eye.

Any plans to do another cooking show or a new cookbook?
I have some thing in the works that involves new media and cooking

Other than Porter House, where else do you go to get a good steak in New York? 
Oh, sorry, but I will never tell you that.

Porter House
Address: 10 Columbus Circle
Phone: (212) 823-9500