Marc Murphy is the American chef, restaurateur and television personality widely recognised as one of the defining American chef-television figures of the past two decades, particularly through his sustained role as a Chopped judge on Food Network. Born 18 December 1968 in Milan, Italy, to American diplomatic parents, Murphy spent his childhood in Italy and France before the family returned to the United States. He trained at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and worked at La Foret in Cheektowaga New York before moving to leading New York fine-dining restaurants including Layla under Chris Cannon and Andrew Carmellini, La Caravelle and Cellar in the Sky.
Murphy’s 2025-2026 work has shifted from his original Landmarc restaurant operation to private events, pop-ups and continued television. His original Landmarc restaurants in Tribeca and at Time Warner Center closed in 2019, and Murphy converted the former Tribeca space into MM Kitchen Studio in 2022 as a private event space. From 2024 he has operated Marc179 as a recurring monthly pop-up dining series in the same Tribeca space, and continues as a regular Chopped judge on Food Network into 2025-2026 alongside television guest appearances on Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games and other Food Network programmes.
TL;DR
- American chef born 18 December 1968 in Milan, Italy (American diplomatic family)
- Childhood in Italy and France; Institute of Culinary Education NYC
- Worked at La Foret, La Caravelle, Cellar in the Sky, Layla under Chris Cannon and Andrew Carmellini
- Founded Landmarc in Tribeca 2004 (closed 2019); Ditch Plains; Kingside
- MM Kitchen Studio private event space 2022; Marc179 monthly pop-ups 2024-2026
- Sustained Chopped judge on Food Network into 2025-2026
Marc Murphy key facts
| Born | 18 December 1968, Milan, Italy |
| Nationality | American |
| Background | Childhood in Italy, France, Genoa, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Washington DC |
| Training | Institute of Culinary Education NYC; La Foret Cheektowaga; Layla NYC; La Caravelle; Cellar in the Sky |
| Restaurants | Landmarc Tribeca and Time Warner Center (2004-2019, both closed); Ditch Plains; Kingside |
| Current operations | MM Kitchen Studio (2022 private events); Marc179 (2024-2026 monthly pop-ups) |
| Television | Chopped judge on Food Network; Beat Bobby Flay; Guy’s Grocery Games |
Early life and training of Marc Murphy
Murphy was born on 18 December 1968 in Milan, Italy, to American diplomatic parents. His childhood was peripatetic across European postings including Milan, Genoa, Villefranche-sur-Mer in southern France and various other European cities, before the family returned to the United States and settled in Washington DC. He has spoken in multiple interviews about the formative influence of Italian and French home cookery during his European childhood, and the bridge between Italian-American family cooking and classical French technique that has anchored his subsequent career.
Murphy attended the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City for formal culinary training. He subsequently worked at La Foret in Cheektowaga, New York, in the early 1990s, and then moved to leading New York fine-dining restaurants. He worked at Cellar in the Sky atop Windows on the World, at La Caravelle (one of the defining classical French restaurants in New York), and at Layla under Chris Cannon and Andrew Carmellini, gaining classical French and Mediterranean technique at the very highest New York level.
Through the late 1990s and early 2000s Murphy worked at progressively more senior New York restaurant positions before founding his own first restaurant, Landmarc, in Tribeca in 2004. Landmarc became one of the defining Tribeca neighbourhood restaurants of the mid-to-late 2000s, anchored in classical French-Italian Mediterranean technique applied to a casual American fine-dining format.
Marc Murphy career timeline
- 18 December 1968: Born in Milan, Italy
- 1970s-1980s: Childhood across Italy, France and other European postings
- Late 1980s: Family returns to United States
- Early 1990s: Attends Institute of Culinary Education New York
- Early 1990s: Works at La Foret Cheektowaga New York
- Mid-1990s: Works at Cellar in the Sky and La Caravelle in New York
- Late 1990s: Works at Layla New York under Chris Cannon and Andrew Carmellini
- 2004: Opens Landmarc in Tribeca, New York
- 2007: Opens Landmarc Time Warner Center
- 2009: Begins as Chopped judge on Food Network
- 2010: Opens Ditch Plains in West Village
- 2013: Opens Kingside at the Viceroy Hotel
- 2015: Publishes Season With Authority cookbook
- 2018: Continues Chopped judging and restaurant operations
- 2019: Both Landmarc Tribeca and Time Warner Center locations close
- 2022: Opens MM Kitchen Studio in former Tribeca Landmarc space (private events)
- 2024: Launches Marc179 monthly pop-up dining series in MM Kitchen Studio
- 2024-2026: Marc179 monthly pop-ups continue
- 2025: Continues Chopped judging on Food Network
- 2026: Marc179 monthly pop-ups continue; Chopped judging continues
Marc Murphy signature style: Mediterranean-inflected American cookery and television presence
Murphy’s central argument, developed across more than two decades of New York restaurant work and television appearances, is that classical French-Italian Mediterranean technique applied to American produce can anchor sustained casual fine-dining and event-based restaurant operations. The Landmarc Tribeca menu through 2004-2019 was built on this approach with Mediterranean-inflected casual American cooking, and the more recent Marc179 monthly pop-ups continue the Mediterranean-inflected register in a more intimate dining-event format.
The second defining element is the sustained Chopped television presence since 2009. As one of the most-recognisable Chopped judges across more than 16 years and hundreds of episodes on Food Network, Murphy has been one of the defining American chef-television judges of the past 16 years. Within the Chopped panel he sits alongside peers including Alex Guarnaschelli and Geoffrey Zakarian.
The third pillar is the operational restructuring from full-service restaurants to private-event and pop-up formats. The 2019 closure of Landmarc, the 2022 conversion of the Tribeca space into MM Kitchen Studio, and the 2024 launch of Marc179 monthly pop-ups together represent one of the more notable American chef-restaurateur transitions of the post-pandemic period. Within the current American chef-television cohort Murphy sits alongside peers including Padma Lakshmi as one of the defining Food Network figures.
Notable Marc Murphy work
Several Murphy projects have become reference points in modern New York restaurant culture. Landmarc Tribeca (2004-2019) was one of the defining Tribeca neighbourhood restaurants of the mid-to-late 2000s and 2010s, and Landmarc Time Warner Center (2007-2019) extended the brand to the Columbus Circle area. Ditch Plains (West Village, 2010) was a casual coastal seafood-and-burger spot. Kingside at the Viceroy Hotel (2013) extended the New York hotel-restaurant operation. MM Kitchen Studio (2022) is the private event space, and Marc179 (2024-2026) is the recurring monthly pop-up dining series. Cookbook Season With Authority (2015) anchors his author output.
Marc Murphy awards and recognition
- 2004: Opens Landmarc in Tribeca, New York
- 2007: Opens Landmarc Time Warner Center
- 2009: Begins as Chopped judge on Food Network
- 2010: Opens Ditch Plains in West Village
- 2013: Opens Kingside at Viceroy Hotel
- 2015: Publishes Season With Authority cookbook
- 2019: Landmarc Tribeca and Time Warner Center locations close
- 2022: Opens MM Kitchen Studio (private event space)
- 2024: Launches Marc179 monthly pop-up dining series
- 2025: Continues Chopped judging and Marc179 pop-ups
- 2026: Marc179 monthly pop-ups continue; Chopped judging continues
Marc Murphy impact on New York restaurant and television culture
Murphy’s most concrete contribution is the 15-year Landmarc Tribeca run from 2004 to 2019. The restaurant became one of the defining Tribeca neighbourhood restaurants of the mid-to-late 2000s and 2010s, and the original Tribeca location and the 2007 Time Warner Center expansion together formed one of the more substantial chef-owned New York restaurant operations of the period.
The second contribution is the sustained Chopped television presence since 2009. As one of the most-recognisable Chopped judges across more than 16 years and hundreds of episodes on Food Network, Murphy has been one of the defining American chef-television judges of the past decade and a half.
The third contribution is the post-Landmarc operational reset. The 2022 MM Kitchen Studio and the 2024 Marc179 monthly pop-ups represent a deliberate transition to event-and-pop-up formats. Within the current American chef-television cohort Murphy sits alongside peers including Alex Guarnaschelli, Geoffrey Zakarian and Padma Lakshmi as one of the defining Food Network figures.
Marc Murphy FAQ
Is Landmarc still open?
No. Both Landmarc Tribeca (opened 2004) and Landmarc Time Warner Center (opened 2007) closed in 2019. Murphy subsequently converted the former Tribeca Landmarc space into MM Kitchen Studio in 2022 as a private event space, and from 2024 has operated Marc179 as a recurring monthly pop-up dining series in the same space.
What is Marc179?
Marc179 is Murphy’s recurring monthly pop-up dining series, launched in 2024 in the MM Kitchen Studio space in Tribeca (the former Landmarc Tribeca location). The series operates approximately once a month with prix-fixe Mediterranean-inflected dinners and continues through 2026.
Where is Murphy from?
Born 18 December 1968 in Milan, Italy, to American diplomatic parents. His childhood was across Italy, France and other European postings before the family returned to the United States and settled in Washington DC. The European childhood gave him direct exposure to Italian and French home cookery, which has anchored his subsequent career.
Is Murphy still on Chopped?
Yes. Murphy continues as a regular Chopped judge on Food Network into 2025-2026, a role he has held since 2009 across more than 16 years and hundreds of episodes. The role is his sustained Food Network presence alongside guest appearances on Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games and other programmes.
What is MM Kitchen Studio?
MM Kitchen Studio is Murphy’s private event space, opened 2022 in the former Tribeca Landmarc location. The space hosts private dining events, cooking classes and the recurring Marc179 monthly pop-up dining series since 2024. The Studio represents the post-Landmarc transition from full-service restaurant to event-and-pop-up formats.
What is next for Marc Murphy
Marc179 monthly pop-up dining series continues through 2026 in MM Kitchen Studio in Tribeca. Chopped judge role continues on Food Network. His public Instagram (@chefmarcmurphy) is the best source for current updates.
