Board of Governors

Don Pintabona
Chef

Renowned chef and best-selling cookbook author Don Pintabona has created an illustrious career for himself over the past thirty years. By combining his innate talent for cooking with extensive experience, steadfast determination and vast food studies in more than four dozen countries, Don offers diners an unparalleled Italian cuisine experience.

Born a first-generation Italian in Oceanside, New York, Don grew up surrounded by food. He spent his earliest years working at his father's food markets and watching his grandmother prepare meals for the local masons. By driving a taxi cab, Don put himself through The Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated with honors at age 23. He entered the culinary world as a humble and driven young man, and spent the next ten years refining his skills internationally under top chefs like Charlie Palmer and Daniel Boulud in New York, Georges Blanc in France, and Kiyomi Nishistani in Japan.

When Don returned to New York in 1990, he assisted in the launch of Aureole, where he was introduced to the actor, Robert De Niro. Impressed with his skills and ideas, De Niro hired Don immediately as the Executive Chef of the universally-acclaimed Manhattan hot spot, Tribeca Grill. During his time there, Tribeca Grill earned many accolades, including the 1998 Ivy Award for Excellence, the DiRoNa Award and Wine Spectator's Grand Award of Excellence in 2002. While at the Tribeca Grill, Don authored the popular "Tribeca Grill Cook Book," which was followed by "The Shared Table."

Currently, Don and partners are excited to prepare for the launch of The Shared Table Farm. This urban farm will be fully sustainable, powered by energy created from consumer food waste, and utilize a hydroponic and aquaponic integrated system to grow fresh produce, herbs, mushrooms, and some fish species.