Rocco DiSpirito has been a fixture on the American food scene since the 1990s. He’s owned a three-star restaurant, been a reality TV star, and authored more than a dozen cookbooks ranging in theme from Italian-American to “comfort keto.”
Today he runs a custom meal delivery service, Made by Rocco, has a product line of raw and organic shakes, protein powders and bars, and still makes regular television appearances. Originally from Jamaica, Queens, Mr. DiSpirito is now a long-term resident of TriBeCa where he lives with his family, two dogs and two cats.
FIRST TRY For some reason, somewhere between 5 and 6, my brain just wants me to get up. And I’m not an easy sleeper, so it’s usually a short night. So I get up to wrap it up. I’ll have a protein shake and check emails for a while, deal with a few things that got me up in the first place, and then, after about 90 minutes, I’ll go back to sleep.
SECOND TRY Between 8 and 9 I am officially awake, and the second round of everyday life begins with pets. I take the dogs for a long walk. One of the reasons I live in this part of TriBeCa is because there is a dog park nearby. As I walk the dogs, I begin to think about the most important enjoyable activity of the day. It’s about food, not surprisingly.
ADMINISTRATOR I have to sneak in some work every day at various intervals since Made by Rocco is basically 24/7. I check in with my clients and make sure their needs are met and plan the menus for the week ahead. I usually have about 15 clients at a time, and I hope to be in touch with half of them by morning. And then I leave, almost always, for Balthazar.
THE RITUAL I try to be in Balthazar around noon. It’s basically a permanent reservation with a changing group of friends. Brunch/lunch/dinner can last up to three hours. It’s a big deal for me because it’s usually the only time I allow myself to have such a very long meal and the company of friends. It’s like my church. I’ve been a fan of Balthazar and the owner, Keith McNally, since it opened in 1997. I came here almost every night after work, and we were in the same booth where I still sit every time I come here and stay for hours, just like i still do. I actually lost a credit card somewhere behind the banquet.
THREE MEALS COURSE I try to plan this Sunday meal for breakfast, lunch and early dinner. They have a great basket of pastries, so I’ll have some pastries with some coffee first, then order the seafood tower in an hour or so. All the time. Having a seafood tower in Balthazar is one of my favorite things to do in the whole world. It was what I dreamed of more than anything during the dog days of the pandemic. An hour or so after the seafood tower, I might have steak frites or maybe duck or trout. Something very typically French. This is a magical place for classic French food and a brasserie atmosphere that you don’t find much anymore.
WALK, VISIT I like walking, especially after a long meal. Where I go depends on my mood, but most Sundays I go to the Lower East Side, to a small gallery called Chinatown Soup, where I find my friend Tim Hsu, a brilliant graphic designer who has benefited from many of my books. worked. I like the little galleries of the Lower East Side and especially Tim’s because it represents what New York was built for, a place where someone can start with $50 and be underground, and that’s Chinatown Soup. Tim has really cool community based exhibits. He makes great tea and has fine cigars, so we’ll smoke cigars, drink tea, see the art and just hang out.
BRAINSTORM I am involved in the Downtown Alliance and work with a small team there on a series, Dine Around Downtown Cooking at Home Edition. We started early in the pandemic to draw attention to chefs who were reopening or struggling to reopen, or transitioning to takeout and delivery, and to raise awareness about them and their charities. Once every three weeks we hold a presentation on Zoom with a restaurant from the area. I’m the host and part of the schedule, so every Sunday the team and I get together to discuss the next presentation.
TALK IT OUT I’m checking in with more of my customers, the ones I hadn’t interacted with before. Then I jump on the phone with my therapist. I’ve been in therapy, I believe, since second grade. They didn’t call it that, and I didn’t realize what it was until I was in college, but it’s been a constant in my life. Early in my career, I worked for a restaurant owner who really believed in consistent therapy as a way to make management stronger, better, and more empathetic. So it was confirmed many times in my life that this was a good idea.
FAMILY DINNER Around 7 o’clock there is more food. I cook. My extended family comes over, sometimes my neighbors too. There is always pasta on Sunday evenings. Other things too, but pasta is the constant. I make carbonara or a meat ragout, something like that. When I’m working on a cookbook, I’m often inspired by what I’m making on Sundays, so the menu may lean towards my needs. My family and friends don’t know they are involved in recipe testing, but I don’t think they mind. Right now I’m working on “Rocco at Home”, my next cookbook, so the menu is definitely comfort based and well received.
SLEEPING TOOL I’ve been a participant or judge on Guy Fieri’s “Tournament of Champions” for three seasons. The judging, as I’ve done for the past two seasons, is all blind and really controlled. I mean, it’s like witness protection. I have no idea whose food I’m tasting or even the results of the competition until the season premiere. Like everyone else, I have to watch to find out, so now I’m watching Season 3. I hate seeing myself on TV. I am a shy person. An introvert. But I have to watch every episode to see how it ends and how I can get better at my job as a judge. The only time I can do this is the last one on a Sunday night. Seeing myself on TV is so excruciating that it really helps me fall asleep.
Sunday Routine readers can follow Rocco DiSpirito on Twitter or Instagram @roccodispirito.
