Tom Valenti

Thomas Michael Valenti (March 23, 1959 – April 1, 2026) was an American chef who was the Executive Chef at Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Morristown, New Jersey. Valenti was also the owner and Executive Chef of Oxbow Tavern on the Upper West Side and the Executive Chef of Le Cirque, both in Manhattan. Previously, he was Executive Chef and co-owner of Ouest Restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan which shuttered in 2015. The recipient of many awards for his comfortable cooking style, Valenti was best known for his salmon gravlax and slow-cooked meats, particularly braised lamb shanks. Valenti authored three cookbooks, Welcome to my Kitchen; Soups, Stews and One Pot Meals; as well as You Don't Have to be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook, dedicated to recipes for diabetic diets. He was the driving force behind the creation of the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund, established to benefit the surviving family members of foodservice-related victims of the September 11, 2001 attac