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After spending eight years as executive chef and partner of Oceana, one of the most highly rated seafood houses in New York, Rick Moonen recently announced that he would be leaving to open his own restaurant, rm. In May 2002 he teamed up with father-- and-son restaurateurs Richard and Matthew Harriton and set about to create a restaurant that would showcase his innovative approach to global seafood cookery.
It took them just three months to renovate the Harritons' former restaurant, Lure, which is located between Park and Madison avenues, and reopen it as rm. At the same time Moonen became part owner of the Harritons'other restaurant, Branzini.
Title: chef-owner, with Richard and Matthew Harriton of rm and Branzini, New York
Birth date: Sept. 12,1956
Hometown: Queens, N.Y.
Education. The Culinary Institute of America, 1978, graduated first in class
Career highlights: Opening own restaurant; working as saucier at La Cote Basque; working as saucier at Le Cirque; working as chef at Chelsea Central
You were well established and successful at Oceana. What made you decide to strike out on your own?
I was a partner at Oceana for eight years, which was a great opportunity for me. I loved the Livanos family. We had a great, great run. We had one of the best seafood restaurants in the United States. They made millions of dollars, and I did well. But the Livanos' restaurants will always be the Livanos' restaurants. I wanted to try to do it on my own. I wanted to have something more of my own personality.
Your rm has been open for about a month. How do you feel about it so far?
This is definitely the most exciting thing I've ever done in my career. I've always wanted to own a restaurant. And I don't regret not having done it before. A lot of people jump...