Executive Chef Ed Cotton
Long before Ed Cotton was serving spanakopita-stuffed pita breads in Manhattan or carving wood-fired steaks in a refined supper club kitchen, he was a preschooler trailing behind his father, Ed Cotton Sr., a chef and graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, through the back doors of Cottage Crest in Waltham, Massachusetts. By age 12, Ed was already learning the art of Hollandaise sauce, along with everything pizza and pasta, under his father’s careful guidance. His formal culinary training began at Minuteman High School, a vocational high school in historic Lexington, Massachusetts.
At 17, while still in high school, Ed met Chef Todd English, who offered him a place on the kitchen team at the original Olives in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Known for its wildly creative take on Mediterranean cuisine and regarded as one of Boston’s best restaurants, Olives became the beginning of it all for Ed. It was there that he developed a lasting love for food and the high-energy rhythm of a serious kitchen. That early experience eventually led him to enroll at The Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated in 1998.
Upon graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, Ed was once again tapped by Todd English this time to help open Olives at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Following a successful opening, he returned to Boston to work under Chef Barbara Lynch at her critically acclaimed Beacon Hill restaurant, No.9 Park. In 2002, Ed relocated to New York City, where he began a transformative five-year chapter working alongside Chef Daniel Boulud. During his time at both DB Bistro and Restaurant Daniel, he developed a deep respect for the history and integrity of a dish just as much as its ingredients, while also assisting in the opening of several of Chef Boulud’s new concepts.
Now, after nearly three decades of sharpening his craft alongside some of the culinary world’s most influential figures including Daniel Boulud, Barbara Lynch, David Burke, Cat Cora, and Laurent Tourondel, Cotton has become a defining voice in New York City’s restaurant scene. Today, his portfolio includes multiple distinct concepts, including Jack & Charlie’s No. 118 in the West Village, Leonetta in Murray Hill, and the soon-to-open The Derby Club in Sutton Place.
Ed brought that same perspective to the small screen, spending six seasons as Cat Cora’s sous chef on Iron Chef America, finishing as runner-up on Season 7 of Top Chef, and taking down Bobby Flay on Beat Bobby Flay with a humble but unforgettable turkey cacciatore.
Today, Cotton’s culinary storytelling comes to life across a growing portfolio of distinctly New York restaurants. At Jack & Charlie’s No. 118, his sultry homage to the city’s classic supper clubs, Cotton leans into nostalgia with a modern point of view. Opened in 2021 on a historic stretch of Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, the restaurant channels speakeasy elegance, with a New American menu anchored by pristine seafood, house-made pastas, and wood-fired steaks.
A few miles uptown, Leonetta, Cotton’s 2024 opening in Murray Hill, offers a lighter, more Mediterranean expression of his cooking. Here, the influence of his mentors and training comes through in dishes like spanakopita-stuffed pita, truffle-laced mafaldine, and an expansive raw bar showcasing coastal-inspired crudos and shellfish as the centerpiece of the dining experience.
Soon, Cotton will expand his footprint with The Derby Club, opening in Sutton Place in the former home of the legendary Irish pub Neary’s. Conceived as a neighborhood tavern with unmistakable old New York energy, The Derby Club will blend elevated chophouse fare, classic cocktails, and the timeless kind of hospitality that has become a hallmark of Cotton’s approach honoring tradition while creating places guests want to return to again and again. Across all of his restaurants, the food tells Cotton’s story: the chefs who shaped him, the kitchens that sharpened him, and a lifelong pursuit of respecting tradition while making it distinctly his own. It’s that philosophy that has kept Ed Cotton at the center of New York’s ever-evolving culinary conversation.
Cotton is a member of the Food Council for City Harvest NYC and resides in New York City with his wife, Diana, with whom he has shared 18 years of marriage.