Chef Victor Chavez Retires From Smith & Wollensky After 38 Years

Chef Victor Chavez has retired from Smith & Wollensky after nearly four decades of service. A native of Ecuador, Chavez graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and promptly joined Alan Stillman's fledgling Smith & Wollensky in 1977 as a sous chef. In 1985 he became executive chef. Chavez helmed the restaurant both through the 1980s boom years and the more challenging times of economic downturn, rising beef prices, and mad cow disease scares. Chavez's legacy extends beyond the menu: his sons Victor Jr., Hugo, and Alexis all work for the restaurant group. Chef Edwin Gallardo is now the head chef of Smith & Wollensky.

Here is a look at the Smith & Wollensky prime rib: