Rising Star Chef Andrew Whitcomb of Colonie - Biography

Nestled between the sweeping coastlines and snow-topped mountains of his Maine home, Andrew Whitcomb was keenly aware of nature at a young age. From adjacent farmlands and farmers markets to his parents’ gardens, local and sustainable produce played an important role in Whitcomb’s life. It’s no surprise he felt an early and compelling connection to food.

At just 13, he began cooking in the various kitchens of his Maine hometown. Although when it came time for college he studied engineering. But after a fortuitous visit to the Culinary Institute of America, Whitcomb dropped out of the University of Southern Maine and made his way to Hyde Park, New York. After graduation he cooked at Deuxave in Boston and then Ken Oringer’s Earth back in Maine, where he worked a wood-fired oven made daily, and made use of the large and diverse on-site gardens. Whitcomb eventually moved New York City, rapidly moving up the ranks from line cook to executive chef at Colonie, overseeing the restaurant’s hyper-seasonal menu on a nightly basis. And he’s brought his Maine upbringing with him, developing meaningful relationships with suppliers, courting growers who practice smart and sustainable farming, and even doing intensive gardening at home (he once took a year off to raise pigs in his backyard). Whitcomb experiments with herbs and obscure vegetable varietals as he continues his long, happy relationship with nature.