Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Heave-Ho Rocco
By
Jeremy Frost
Published Sep 29, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jeremy Frost
Published Sep 29, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The other shoe has finally dropped for Rocco DiSpirito. The celebrity chef who sold his soul for the NBC reality series "The Restaurant" has now lost not only the restaurant that bears his name, but the restaurant that made it.
The Times reports that Union Pacific, where Rocco burst onto the New York restaurant scene to great acclaim in 1997, is closing down at the end of this year, and that Rocco himself is no longer heading the kitchen. This on top of a series of investor squabbles and lawsuits that forced the closing of Rocco's this past July, makes DiSpirito a chef without a stove. Rocco seems to be taking it pretty well though, saying only that he "made a decision to take a break from the day-to-day operations of a restaurant to focus on other opportunities outside the restaurant world. "
Hmm. Maybe the product placement revenues of "The Restaurant" tipped Rocco off to a more lucrative line of work: he's selling autographed copies of his new cookbook online and his own line of cookware on QVC, where he also hawks cheesecake, sausages, and his mother's meatballs.
With the closing of Union Pacific, looks like Rocco's transition is complete. Why be a chef, when you can be a shill?
Tagged
celebrity
dining
food
food news
lawsuits
nbc
new york
restaurant
rocco dispirito
The Restaurant
the times
Union Pacific
Jeremy Frost
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .