3100 Country Club Rd SW, Lancaster, Ohio (740) 277-6727

Meet

The Chef

"...his passion for great cooking and dedication to local food remain defining elements in the long and impressive career."

Alfonso Contrisciani, Certified Master Chef, shares his Master Chef status with 66 others in the United States. He currently is Executive Director of Culinary Operations & Master Chef at Hocking College. His prestigious accomplishments include being named “Restaurateur of the Year” by The International Food & Beverage Forum in 2004’. Chef Alfonso has garnered over 75 National and International awards, including 36 Gold medals thus far in his career. Alfonso competed as a member of Team USA in 1992, 1996 and 2000 in the International Culinary Olympics. In 2000 he captained team USA while winning the world championship in the cold food category.

Alfonso is an accomplished educator, restaurateur, executive chef, pastry chef and held numerous VP and director positions in some of the countries leading hotels, restaurants, universities and food service companies. As Vice President of Culinary Development for Centerplate, Alfonso oversaw several of the largest convention centers in the country. He orchestrated several presidential dinners in Washington DC as well as President Obama’s Inaugural balls.

Alfonso believes in sustainable foods and green initiatives and applies them to his daily operations. He oversaw The Hocking College Inn and Rhapsody, the colleges training restaurant located in down town Nelsonville, Ohio. Rhapsody features Appalachian farm to table cuisine. Chef also supports locally grown natural beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. Plate features healthy American comfort food grown and produced in central Ohio. Rhapsody’s menu is a collection of Alfonso’s family recipes and reflects his vision and philosophy of utilization of seasonal local products prepared with a focus on healthy nutritional profiles.
SOURCE: American Master Chefs Order »

 

Chef Alfonso Contrisciani

MAster Chef

Alfonso Contrisciani

Chef Alfonso has garnered over 75 National and International awards, including 36 Gold medals thus far in his career. Alfonso believes in sustainable foods and green initiatives and applies them to his daily operations. 

ALFONSO’S ITALIAN BAKERY
In addition to the restaurant, Alfonso owns Alfonso’s Italian Bakery in Nelsonville. The bakery provides authentic, hand crafted, baked goods and fresh artisanal eats in a setting where quality never waivers and community is the foundation.

The bakery features authentic European baked goods, including a wonderful selection of all-natural baked items daily from scratch and prepared lunches.

Alfonso’s is dedicated to sourcing the highest quality ingredients from local farms for our artisanal baked goods.

MORE ABOUT ALFONSO'S ITALIAN BAKERY

OLIVER FARMS
Alfonso also owns Oliver Farms, a local sustainable food manufacturing Company with farms in Thornville, Ohio & an outlet store/bakery located in downtown Nelsonville, Ohio.

Alfonso currently resides on his 277 acre family farm in Thornville, Ohio. He is an active member in the Ohio Community Agriculture System and believes our future is in a sustainable, organic farming system to preserve our ecosystem. Alfonso is President of Perry County Farmers Market Co Operative.

Alfonso is a member of OEFFA, (Ohio Ecological Farm to Food Association), The American Culinary Federation, World Master Chefs Societies, Global Master Chefs Society and the International Food & Beverage Forum.

MORE ABOUT OLIVER FARMS

Columbus Monthly
Alfonso Contrisciani wears many hats—chef, farmer and educator among them—but his passion for great cooking and dedication to local food remain defining elements in the long and impressive career of the chef and owner of Plate.

He walks the length of the greenhouse, pointing out different vegetables—radishes, tomatoes, lettuces—and animatedly describes his growing process. “This is all completely natural,” he says. “No chemicals or pesticides have touched any of these plants.” He gestures to the stinking vat of water and chicken excrement he uses to fertilize his tomatoes, casually stirring the brew as he explains the fermenting process.

This is Alfonso Contrisciani, a man equally at home on the farm and in the kitchen. Today he looks more like farmer than chef in blue jeans, a plaid shirt and dirty work boots. He’s a big man, and his Stetson hat, which he wears pretty much everywhere, makes him seem even bigger. He might not be wearing a pristine white jacket and toque, but don’t let his down-to-earth appearance fool you—Contrisciani knows his way around a professional kitchen. He is a certified master chef with more than 30 years of industry experience. Read Full Article » 

Alfonso is dedicated to sourcing the highest quality ingredients from local farms