Chef Eddie Canlon, owner of Canlon\u2019s Restaurant, is nationally renowned for his comfort food, but locals know him for his hospitality and generosity.<\/p>\n
Born and raised on Staten Island, Canlon has been in the food industry since he was just a kid, helping his parents at Canlon\u2019s Esquire Club with anything from dishwashing to bussing tables to bartending. A graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School, Canlon went on to attend the former New York Restaurant School, which later became the Art Institute of New York City, where he learned the foundations of culinary and pastry technique.<\/p>\n
Upon graduating from the New York Restaurant School, Canlon dove headfirst into the industry, working at the newly opened Canlon\u2019s Restaurant during the day and heading over to Canlon\u2019s Esquire Club, on the corner of Clove and Delafield, for the night shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was learning from so many different chefs at the time, probably over 20, and I picked it all up very quickly.\u201d says Canlon. \u201cFor a long time, I was working all day, six days a week. That\u2019s just how I was raised, quietly get the work done, and the reward will come later. It was a long road in the beginning, but it was all worth it once I got my footing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canlon\u2019s Restaurant, opened in 1985 on a corner in Oakwood, quickly became a hot-spot on the Island, serving up a wide range of American classics. Operated primarily by Ed Canlon Sr., Canlon\u2019s father, Canlon\u2019s Restaurant specialized in making customers feel at home, combining comfort food and stellar, personal service to create an unmatched environment.<\/p>\n
Supporting his father at both Canlon\u2019s Esquire Club and Canlon\u2019s Restaurant, Canlon earned a breadth of experience in his first five years post-graduation. Selling the Esquire Club in 1991 to focus on the restaurant, the Canlon family pivoted entirely toward traditional dining, and Canlon began to pour his heart into Canlon\u2019s Restaurant. <\/p>\n
\u201cI took over the restaurant in 1995, right before I got married. My father was a great businessman, and he taught me everything that I needed to know. With my love for food and the foundation that he built for me, I knew that the restaurant would continue to thrive,\u201d says Canlon. \u201cI threw everything into Canlon\u2019s, and I don\u2019t regret it for a second.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canlon\u2019s Restaurant is an outlier amongst the food and hospitality industry, employing folks who stay with the restaurant for years to come. \u201cSome of my staff came in as customers in diapers, and now they\u2019re waitstaff and cooks,\u201d boasts Canlon. \u201cWhen I took over the business, I hired a young man who started with me as a dishwasher, and now he\u2019s a cook in the kitchen and has been with me for over 25 years. All of my employees have two consecutive days off per week, and they work very hard, so I treat them in kind.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2011, while volunteering and serving his food at a local event, Canlon was approached by a producer from the Food Network\u2019s hit reality show, \u201cChopped.\u201d The series pits four chefs from around the country against each other as they compete for a chance to win $10,000. In each episode, the chefs compete in a three-round contest, using various combinations of ingredients to create an appetizer, entr\u00e9e, and dessert that are later evaluated by a panel of judges. Wowing the judges with his creativity, passion, and genuine love for the craft, Canlon won the competition and took home the grand prize of $10,000, becoming the second ever Staten Island \u201cChopped\u201d champion.<\/p>\n
Above all, Canlon loves to give back to the community that has supported him for so many years. When Canlon won \u201cChopped,\u2019’ he donated his entire award winnings to U.S. troops and a local non-profit. When Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on Staten Island, Canlon made it his mission to cook for first responders and those impacted by the disaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to the rescue centers every day for seven weeks with trays of food; They called me, \u2018Every Day Eddie,\u2019\u201d reminisces Canlon. \u201cWhen 9\/11 happened, we were supporting whole families with food for months at a time. We\u2019re always there to help whenever someone needs it; That\u2019s my thing with food. I love to feed people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canlon leads by example, taking care of his community and supporting Staten Island openly and proudly. The doors at Canlon\u2019s are always open to the stream of students who pop into the restaurant for a quick drink or to use the restroom, and Canlon uses that opportunity to educate the youth on communication skills and the importance of hard work and a positive mindset.<\/p>\n
For his accomplishments, Canlon is being honored with a Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award, which he will receive in the Established Businessperson category. The awards, which are presented by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance, honor the memory of Louis R. Miller, a businessman and West Brighton resident who was also a community leader.<\/p>\n
Canlon has donated a countless amount of food in his many years as a business owner, operating under the philosophy that food is the key to peoples\u2019 hearts. In addition to the disaster relief that he has provided during times of crises, Canlon regularly gives to organizations throughout Staten Island, including the Staten Island Giving Circle, Michael\u2019s Cause, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Meals on Wheels, the Staten Island Knights of Columbus, the Staten Island Council of Churches, and the Have a Heart Foundation. Canlon is also a member of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and a past board member of the Staten Island Heart Society.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a leader in my small community, and I feel proud to be able to teach the next generation,\u201d emphasizes Canlon. \u201cI\u2019m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and help someone out, and I like to be that good example for the people who surround me. Whether it\u2019s something simple, like holding the door for someone, or something more meaningful, like donating half trays of food, I try to show people how to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q&A with Eddie Canlon<\/p>\n
Current occupation: Owner of Canlon\u2019s Restaurant, executive chef; Staten Island\u2019s oldest busboy.<\/p>\n
Hometown: Great Kills.<\/p>\n
Past Occupations: Bottle washing, porter, bartender, waiter<\/p>\n
Community Involvement: S.I. Knights of Columbus, Oakwood Heights Church, NYC Verrazano 10-13, Staten Island Heart Society, SSG Michael Ollis Freedom Foundation, Marine Corp League, S.I. United Veterans Org, Michael\u2019s Cause, Staten Island Giving Circle, NYPD Emerald Society, Church of St. Andrews, Staten Island Council of Churches, Meals on Wheels, Have a Heart Foundation, St. Charles, St. Clare, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians<\/p>\n
My life philosophy: I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be completely used up when I die. The harder I work the more I live.<\/p>\n
The best part of my job: People enjoying my food<\/p>\n
The most difficult part of my job: Working 7 days a week<\/p>\n
I am most proud of: My wife, Jeannie, and daughter, Tara, and their love and support<\/p>\n
Something that no one knows about me: I am a sore loser.<\/p>\n
The quality I like best about myself: Cheering up someone who\u2019s down<\/p>\n
Personal interests and hobbies: Golf. Golf. Golf. And a good meal<\/p>\n
I laugh at: Stand-up comedians<\/p>\n
I am really good at: \u201cThe Blarney\u201d<\/p>\n
I admire: Anyone in the service industry<\/p>\n
Something important I would like you to know about me: I will give you the shirt off my back, but don\u2019t try to take advantage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chef Eddie Canlon, owner of Canlon\u2019s Restaurant, is nationally renowned for his comfort food, but locals know him…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":88895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-88894","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}