About the Chef

COPELAND’S TEAM

Executive Chef Thomas Ciszak

Copeland Executive Chef Thomas Ciszak is widely respected for his work at Shelly's in New York City and The Manor in West Orange, N.J., where he earned numerous accolades and awards. Under his direction, Copeland offers New American cuisine with playful twists and an outstanding raw bar.

Born in Germany, Chef Ciszak trained at the Culinary Institute of Reckinghausen and the Technical College for Food Services in Datteln, Germany, where he studied nutrition and food chemistry. Chef Ciszak worked at the age of 14, in his hometown at the Rottesserie Stromberg and the one Michelin Star Goldschmieding Restaurant. He completed an extensive training program at Jammertal, mastering all departments of fine dining hotel and restaurant before working in two of Germany's top restaurants: The Residence, a Michelin two-star restaurant, and Benedikt, rated one of the best Euro-Asian restaurants in Europe.

With an appetite for adventure, curiosity and a will to learn from the best, Ciszak arrived in New York City in 1995, planning to stay a year absorbing as much as he could from the city's vibrant culinary scene. But when he was offered the Chef position at The Manor in West Orange, he decided to stay. In his four years at that storied institution, he was charged with updating and revitalizing the menu and restaurant, which he did very successfully - during his tenure the property earned the coveted AAA Four Diamonds and the DiRoNA Award, and was named "Best of the Best in New Jersey" by New Jersey Monthly three years in a row.

Ready to spread his wings and continue his American education, Ciszak became executive chef of the banquet department for New York's famed Tavern on the Green, where he quickly became known for his outstanding celebrity weddings and superb social events.

In 2000, he became the executive chef of restaurateur Shelly Fireman's new venture-Shelly's New York. The restaurant quickly gained popularity for the American brasserie menu, especially its outstanding seafood, which garnered the "Best Raw Bar" award from New York Magazine.

Having spent almost six years at the large, high-volume Shelly's and Tavern on the Green, where he worked closely with prominent restaurateurs Warner LeRoy and Shelly Fireman, Ciszak was ready to showcase his own, personal style of cooking. The opportunity came with the opening of Copeland, where Chef Ciszak had input into many aspects of the restaurant beyond the menu, from china to staff uniforms.

With a unique style that melds his European approach and American experience, Chef Thomas Ciszak is making Copeland and The Westin Governor Morris the newest stars of the New Jersey metropolitan area culinary scene. Copeland has received rave reviews since its January 2005 opening, including three and a half stars (out of four) from The Newark Star-Ledger.

Chef Ciszak is also the executive chef of The Westin Governor Morris, responsible for overseeing food and menu preparation for the many weddings, fundraiser galas, corporate events, banquets and other celebrations held at the popular, newly renovated hotel.