Ladner is a two-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation Award as Best Chef: New York City. When Del Posto received a four-star review from The New York Times in 2010, it became the first Italian restaurant in 36 years to earn that recognition. Del Posto and Ladner’s other restaurants—Lupa Osteria Romana and Otto Enoteca Pizzeria—are part of the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group headed by Mario Batali and Joseph and Lydia Bastianich. CIA students can complete their externship field experience at all three restaurants.
Ladner is also the co-author, with Batali, of Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking (HarperCollins, 2010).
Photo:Mark Ladner, executive chef at New York City’s Del Posto, congratulates a graduate during commencement ceremonies at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., at which he delivered the keynote address to graduates on Feb. 7, 2014. Courtesy of CIA/Phil Mansfield