DiSpirito is known as a celebrity chef and a cookbook author. He is known for his involvement in Union Pacific, a restaurant he opened in 1997 in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan. A year later, New York Times reviewer Ruth Reichl, in a three-star review, reported that a woman at the next table was moaning in ecstasy as she ate, but it was impossible to determine what had provoked that reaction since so many dishes were worthy of such a reaction.[3] DiSpirito departed Union Pacific in 2004.[4]
From 2003 to 2004, DiSpirito starred in the NBCreality television show The Restaurant, which followed the launch and operation of a new Manhattan restaurant called Rocco's on 22nd.[5] The show was canceled, and DiSpirito was successfully sued by the restaurant's financier Jeffrey Chodorow to have the restaurant shut down, and DiSpirito banned from entering the premises.[5]
DiSpirito succeeded Arthur Schwartz as host of Food Talk,[6] an hour-long morning talk show on New York Radio WOR (AM), from October 2004 through December 2005, and then hosted 12 episodes of the TV show Rocco Gets RealonA&E (October 4 through December 27, 2008).[7]
DiSpirito returned in the Top Chef season three finale (Top Chef: Miami) — in which three celebrity chefs were brought to work as sous chefs to the contestants, with DiSpirito assisting Hung Huynh — and was a guest judge on the March 14, 2008 Top Chef season four premiere (Top Chef: Chicago).[11]
He appeared on NBC's The Biggest Loser: Couples (season 5) in an episode that aired on February 5, 2008 (episode 506), in which contestants were challenged to prepare three healthy courses based on DiSpirito's recipes; DiSpirito judged the food and determined the winning team. The following season he appeared on the second episode (airing September 23, 2008) of The Biggest Loser: Families, taking the "worst" cook of each pair shopping and teaching them to prepare healthy recipes.
DiSpirito was a contestant on season seven of Dancing with the Stars and was paired with professional ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff.[12] He was eliminated on the October 14, 2008, episode and placed ninth overall.[13]
In 2006, DiSpirito performed a public service announcement for DoSomething to promote food drives for schools.[14]
On May 3, 2010, DiSpirito appeared as himself on the ABC television series Castle in the episode "Food to Die For."[15]
On June 15, 2011, DiSpirito debuted as host of a weekly reality TV cooking competition, titled Rocco's Dinner Party, on Bravo TV.[16]
DiSpirito appeared as a celebrity contestant on the June 21, 2012, episode of the Fox dating game show The Choice.[17][18]
DiSpirito hosted the syndicated television program Now Eat This! with Rocco Dispirito, which debuted on September 15, 2012.[19]
In 2013, DiSpirito hosted the Food Network reality show Restaurant Divided, where he went to struggling restaurants where the owners had two differing visions and then picked which concept would save the restaurant.[20][21]
On August 20, 2017, DiSpirito appeared on celebrity chef Guy Fieri's Guy's Grocery Games - Superstar Tournament Part 1, competing against other celebrity chefs for a $40,000 first prize donated to their chosen charity. DiSpirito made it to the finale and beat out the previous tournament winner Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.[22]
After a lengthy hiatus as a restaurateur, DiSpirito returned to the kitchen in 2019 as the chef at the Standard Grill in New York City's Meatpacking District.[24] In October 2019 it was announced that DiSpirito was no longer with the restaurant.[25]
In 2015, DiSpirito underwent an emergency surgery, a discectomy spinal surgery for his acute sciatica.[26] The surgery left DiSpirito in a wheelchair while he learned to walk again.[27]
(2004, November 17) Rocco's Italian American. Hyperion. (ISBN0786868570)
(2005, December 6) Rocco's Five Minute Flavor: Fabulous Meals with 5 Ingredients in 5 Minutes. Scribner. (ISBN0743273842)
(2007, November 6) Rocco's Real Life Recipes: Fast Flavor for Everyday. Wiley. (ISBN0696237032)
(2008, October 21) Rocco Gets Real: Cook at Home, Every Day. Wiley. (ISBN0696238233)
(2010, March 2) Now Eat This!: 150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories. Ballantine Books. (ISBN0345520904)
(2011, March 22) Now Eat This! Diet: Lose Up to 10 Pounds in Just 2 Weeks Eating 6 Meals a Day! Grand Central Life & Style.(ISBN0446584495)
(2012, September 25) Now Eat This! Italian: Favorite Dishes from the Real Mamas of Italy—All Under 350 Calories. Grand Central Life & Style. (ISBN0446584517)
(2014, January 7) The Pound a Day Diet: Lose Up to 5 Pounds in 5 Days by Eating the Foods You Love.
(2016, January 28) The Negative Calorie Diet: Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 10 Days with 10 All You Can Eat Foods. HarperWave. (ISBN0062378139)
(2017, October 17) Rocco's Healthy & Delicious: More than 200 (Mostly) Plant-Based Recipes for Everyday Life.
(2020, March 3) Rocco's Keto Comfort Food Diet: Eat the Foods You Miss and Still Lose Up to a Pound a Day.
