For the past ten years Reza Khorshidi has been the highly acclaimed chef of Rebeccas, the modern American restaurant in Greenwich, CT that he owns with his wife and partner, Rebecca Kirhoffer. Esquire magazine calls his cooking “delectable” with a “mix of sharp flavors and brittle textures exemplary of modern American cuisine.” The New York Times gave Rebeccas the coveted rating of “Excellent,” noting, “There isn’t space to describe in detail the elegance of each dish.” And Food & Wine wrote that his cooking “is marked by French technique and simplicity that inspires New Yorkers to drive north to Connecticut.”

A native of Azerbaijan who grew up in Switzerland, Khorshidi built his career working in top kitchens in Europe, Los Angeles and New York. After his schooling, Khorshidi apprenticed at two Swiss hotels before moving to Los Angles. He first worked for acclaimed chef Joachim Spichal at Max on Triangle in Beverly Hills, then moved on to positions at Ravel at the Sheraton Grand and as chef de partie under Jean Francois Metiger at L’Orangerie. In 1987 Khorshidi was asked by Joachim Spichal to be his sous chef at The Regency Club in LA, a position that led to his being hired as the restaurant chef of New York’s Regency Hotel. In 1989 restaurateur Jean Denoyer made Khorshidi the Executive Chef at his popular La Goulue on the Upper East Side.

It was at La Goulue that Khorshidi attracted the attention of Gourmet magazine, whose publisher was a frequent lunch guest. The review in Gourmet recognized one of the keys to Khorshidi’s success – it is “the quality of the ingredients that catches everyone’s attention.” After two years at La Goulue, Khorshidi was named Executive Chef at the brokerage firm Smith Barney, where he was responsible for the firm’s executive dining room and private dining functions. At Smith Barney Khorshidi used his passion for straightforward preparations to create new menus every day. He stayed with Smith Barney until 1996, when he began work on the acclaimed Rebeccas. Every year since it opened, Rebeccas has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and the Zagat Survey Award of Distinction. It has been rated #1 for Food in the Zagat Survey since 2000, and it was the Editor’s Pick for Best Restaurant by both the Fairfield County Weekly and Yankee Magazine in 2001.

Khorshidi lives in Greenwich, CT, with his wife and business partner, Rebecca Kirhoffer.