Frank Brunacci

Michael Nagrant / 11.30.07

Chef Frank Brunacci was slinging shark bacon and olive oil ice cream at a restaurant in New Orleans way before most of today’s molecular gastronomists broke out the lasers and liquid nitrogen. Despite his innovative approaches, he’s more of a haute comfort food purveyor than a food scientist. One thing’s for certain, his alchemy was good enough to charm the Donald, and so Brunacci has been tapped to open the flagship restaurant 16 in the new Trump hotel and Towers in the loop this December.