Michael White Instagram Michael White was the chef and restaurateur behind Altamarea Group, including Marea, Ai Fiori, Vaucluse, Osteria Morini, Nicoletta, Costata, and The Butterfly in New York and beyond, from 2007 to 2021. In 2022, he reopened New York City landmark The Lambs Club. Experience White launched his career at Chicago's Spiaggia, where he became chef de cuisine in 2001 after traveling and continuing his education in Italy. In 2002, he moved to New York to be the executive chef at Fiamma Osteria, when Esquire named him Best New Chef.White published Fiamma: The Essence of Contemporary Italian Cooking in 2006 and joined the Altamarea Group in 2007, opening Due Terre and Due Mari in New Jersey. He'd go on to earn Michelin stars at Alto, Convivio, and Marea in ManhattanGQ and Esquire both named Marea the Best New Restaurant in 2009, and it won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2010. White went on to open restaurants in Dubai, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., before leaving the group during the pandemic, opening Lido Restaurant at The Four Seasons in Miami, and returning to NYC to take the helm at The Lambs Club. Education White attended Kendall Culinary Institute. About Food & Wine Food & Wine, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is an award-winning online resource for anyone passionate about the culinary world. With rigorously tested recipes and the most trusted restaurant, drinks, culinary travel and home coverage, we inspire and empower people everywhere to discover, create, and devour the best in food and wine. Learn more about us and our editorial process.