Michael Cimarusti

Originally from New Jersey, Cimarusti developed an early fascination with food at his family’s table and during formative restaurant meals with his parents—experiences that sparked a lifelong passion for the craft. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he trained in some of the country’s most storied kitchens, including Spago, Le Cirque, and Water Grill.

As the executive chef and co-owner of Providence in Los Angeles, Cimarusti has led the restaurant—opened in 2005—to the forefront of West Coast fine dining. Providence earned two Michelin stars when the guide first covered Los Angeles in 2008, regained two stars upon Michelin’s return to California, received Michelin’s Green Star for sustainability, and in 2025 marked its 20th anniversary by joining Somni as one of the city’s only restaurants to hold three Michelin stars.

In 2013, he opened Connie & Ted’s in West Hollywood, a casual seafood restaurant rooted in his Rhode Island family heritage and a love of honest, briny coastal fare.

Beyond the kitchen, Cimarusti is a prominent voice in the sustainable seafood movement, collaborating with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and supporting philanthropic initiatives such as L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade. His accolades include the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chef: West; recognition on Robb Report’s list of the 50 Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining; and appearances on Top Chef, MasterChef, Hell’s Kitchen, and Mind of a Chef.

For Cimarusti, innovation and integrity are inseparable. At the heart of his work is a reverence for the sea—and the belief that, when handled with care and conscience, seafood offers one of cuisine’s purest, most profound expressions.