Executive Chef Alan Ashkinaze is pleased to run the kitchen at the new Gallaghers Steakhouse, reknowned renowned for its aged meats cooked over hickory coals. His responsibilities include menu planning, seasonal ingredient selection, and overseeing the meat selection and in-house aging and butchering. With his gifted palate and award-winning talent for creating memorable dishes, Ashinaze Ashkinaze brings his vast knowledge to New York’s iconic steakhouse.
A native of Westchester, New York, Ashkinaze’s culinary aspirations began at his family’s summer home in Vermont. Here his mother and grandmother used an early 19th century wood and charcoal oven as their main source for cooking. During those years, ingredients and recipes were measured solely by hand, taste and heart. This intuitive approach has become his “only way to cook”.
His career began as a prep cook in New York, followed by a move to Las Vegas in 1986 to attain his degree in hotel management from UNLV. While in college, he became the overnight cook at the Golden Nugget. Ashkinaze returned to his New York roots in 1990 to pursue his culinary passion – enrolling in the prestigious Culinary Institute of America.
After graduating, he worked at The Stanhope Hotel, The Plaza Hotel and Peacock Alley at the Waldorf Astoria. It was at the Waldorf that he forged his lifelong friendship with Two-Michelin-Starred Chef Laurent Manrique.
Eager to develop his craft, Ashkinaze moved to the South of France to work at the St. James Hotel, La Tupina and Les Jardins de l'Opéra in Toulouse. Upon his return in 1998, he opened Gertrude’s on 61st & Madison then became Executive Sous Chef at the Righa Rihga
Ashkinaze relocated to California in 2004 as Executive Chef of Aqua Restaurant at the St. Regis Monarch Beach – joining Chef/Owner Laurent Manrique to earn the Four Star/Four Diamond Award for culinary excellence.
In 2006 his New York roots called again and he returned to take the position of Chef de Cuisine at the Waldorf Astoria, followed by a stint as Executive Chef at the Warwick Hotel.
In 2010, Ashkinaze collaborated again with Chef/Owner Laurent Manrique to oversee all food & beverage services at Millesime Restaurant at The Carlton Hotel.
Over the span of his 25+ year career, Chef Ashkinaze has received numerous accolades – including 2 stars from The New York Times, 2 ½ stars from the New York Post, Top 10 Best New Restaurants, Esquire Magazine and Best Caesar Salad, New York Magazine.
In 2013, Ashkinaze and Dean Poll reunited for the grand reopening of Gallaghers Steakhouse.