i. Biography
"I think food is what brings us all together. It’s a universal language."
The Ascent
Restaurant cooking with this kind of restraint often depends on habits formed before the line: order, sequencing, and a tolerance for repetition. In Thomas Chen’s case, training at International Culinary Center supplied the formal base, while earlier work as an accountant gave the less visible disciplines a place to settle: precision, patience, and attention to detail. The New York fine-dining route added pace and finish. An externship at Jean-Georges in New York City placed Chen inside a kitchen built around polish and control; later work on the kitchen crew at Eleven Madison Park and among the restaurant staff at Commerce broadened that view of how service, technique, and guest experience meet. The resulting cooking favors refinement without stiffness, and a style of generosity that does not need excess to read clearly. The clearest current expression of that approach is Tuome, the East Village restaurant where Thomas is chef/owner (since 2014).
The Work Today
Seasonality, Asian influences, and an accessible room define the working frame at Tuome. As Chen puts it: "We are serving a seasonal menu with Asian influences in a casual East Village setting. We really try to highlight the best ingredients in a comfortable, accessible environment." The point is not to lower the standard of the cooking, but to remove unnecessary ceremony from the experience around it. That position also explains the restaurant’s relationship to fine dining. Chen’s line is direct: "I love fine dining but hate wearing a suit. I wanted to make refined food in a place where it's okay to wear shorts and flip-flops." In trade terms, Tuome keeps the concern for detail while rejecting the room cues that can make precision feel guarded. The guest gets access to the work without being asked to dress for deference. The cooking shows its intent most clearly in the signatures. Pig Out is a Berkshire pork feast for two meant to be eaten with your hands, built around shared appetite rather than ceremony. Chicken with charred gem lettuce, basil, and rice porridge works in another register: the rice is soothing and familiar, while the chicken is cooked two ways, with pan-seared breast and fried thigh giving separate textures on the same plate. Recognition in 2014 pointed to the same method of contrast. The New York Times named Chen’s octopus with XO sauce and brown-butter espuma among the year’s best restaurant dishes, noting the meeting of complex XO sauce with smooth foamed butter. The dish’s interest was in the joinery: intensity set against softness, with the components held in balance rather than pushed for spectacle. Tuome continues to operate in that middle ground between polish and ease. Seasonal ingredients provide the structure, Asian influences shape the menu, and the East Village setting keeps the restaurant from treating refinement as a costume. The craft is precise, but the welcome stays plainspoken.
Signature
Signature dishes include Chicken with charred gem lettuce.
Accolades
Thomas's honors include One Michelin star for Tuome (2019) and Food & Wine Top 10 Best New Chefs, NYC area (2015).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Thomas
What is Thomas Chen's present role?
Thomas Chen is Executive Chef/Owner.
Where did Thomas Chen train or study?
Thomas Chen trained at International Culinary Center.
What recognition has Thomas Chen received?
One Michelin star for Tuome (2019).
