Jeffrey Zurofsky

Jeffrey Zurofsky has followed his passion for entrepreneurship and the culinary arts throughout his career, culminating in the perfect blend as a Partner in 'wichcraft. In 2003, Jeffrey joined with chefs Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortúzar  to develop 'wichcraft as a sandwich shop where the ingredients and cooking techniques are rooted in fine dining but served in a casual and welcoming environment. Since then Jeffrey has overseen all aspects of the 'wichcraft business, spearheading its expansion to fifteen stores with over four-hundred team members. More recently, the original partnership opened Riverpark, a fine dining restaurant that was recently awarded 2-stars by the New York Times, as well as the innovative Riverpark Farm, New York’s most urban farm.

Prior to partnering in 'wichcraft, Jeffrey worked in some of Manhattan's most prestigious kitchens including a stage at Lespinasse, Savoy (while enrolled at the French Culinary Institute), Union Square Café and as opening sous chef at Restaurant AZ. With a desire to leave the stove and feed his entrepreneurial passion, Jeffrey took an offer at a tech startup, Bank Pass, as Director of Business Development. After honing his business acumen, Jeffrey found his way back to his passion at Payard where was Director of Operations and CFO at Francois Payard Patisserie and Bistro.

Jeffrey’s entrepreneurial spirit and love for food started at the age of eight, attempting to replicate in his family’s New Jersey kitchen what he saw master chefs create on classic PBS cooking shows. His mother, a small business owner, encouraged his budding interest in everything culinary and Jeffrey put his self-taught skills to work in professional kitchens while studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He paid his way through school in the area’s best restaurants, and eventually became sous chef at the Mobil 4-star La Residence before moving to New York City after graduation. In addition to Jeffrey’s many job accomplishments, he was recently awarded Outstanding Alumni from The International Culinary Center in 2011 and currently appears on Bravo’s Best New Restaurant advising host Tom Colicchio as he searches for the nation’s best new restaurant. He continues to be committed to numerous civic and philanthropic institutions and has passionately supported entrepreneurial ventures throughout his career.