Influenced by his childhood experiences working in his family's vegetable garden, Palmer was an early advocate of farm over factory food. In 1988, he made a landmark commitment to creating dishes featuring regional American ingredients at his sublime three-star Aureole, once situated in a historic town house off Manhattan's Madison Avenue and now located at One Bryant Park.
Over the years, Palmer combined his creative cooking spirit and flair for business to open thirteen notable restaurants across the country, a growing collection of food-forward wine shops and award-winning boutique hotels. Inducted into the James Beard "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America” in 1998 and a frequent guest on NBC's Today Show, Charlie Palmer is also the author of four cookbooks: Great American Food, Charlie Palmer's Casual Cooking, The Art of Aureole and Charlie Palmer's Practical Guide to the New American Kitchen.
