Geoffrey Tracy
Entrepreneur and Restaurateur
Chef Geoff's Deluxe Hospitality
Geoff graduated from Georgetown University in 1995 with a degree in theology. He then went on to graduate first in his class at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Geoff opened Chef Geoff’s in 2000 and Chef Geoff’s Downtown in 2002. Both were opened before he reached the age of 30. In 2006 Geoff opened his third restaurant, LIA’S in Chevy Chase, MD. In 2018 Geoff formed a joint venture and added two more restaurant concepts, Café Deluxe and Tortilla Coast, to his list of daily responsibilities.
Geoff, along with a very talented team, oversees restaurant operations as well as managing the concept, menu development, marketing, finances, and growth at nine restaurants. The restaurants serve hundreds of thousands of guests every year and employ more than 300 amazing people.
Geoff is also the co-author of the New York Times Best Seller, Baby Love. Baby Love teaches busy parents how to feed “Healthy, Easy, Delicious Meals for Your Baby and Toddler”. The book is published by St. Martin’s Press. Geoff has also given a Tedx talk on the importance of being “Fearless in Entrepreneurship”.
As an active member of the Washington DC community, Geoff has served as chairman on the executive board of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Additionally, Chef Geoff’s has contributed to hundreds of charities and local schools and organizations in the form of silent auctions and fundraising. In 2014 Geoff cooked in the East Room of the White House as part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative. In 2019 Geoff became the ambassador for La Cocina. La Cocina is a local organization with a mission to create opportunities for social and economic change through education, empowerment, and culinary training. Geoff is also a member of the Washington Baltimore chapter of the Young Presidents Organization.
In 2006 the National Restaurant Association awarded Chef Geoff’s The Best Neighbor Award for its contributions to the community. In 2009 Geoff was awarded the Albert Uster “Chef of the Year Award”. In 2010 Geoff was named one of the top 40 business people under the age of 40 by Washington Business Journal. In 2011 Chef Geoff’s Tysons won the RAMMY award for “Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene”. In 2009, 2011, 2017, and 2018, Lia’s was selected as “Best Restaurant in Chevy Chase” by Bethesda Magazine in its annual Reader’s Choice Awards. In 2012, the readers of Washingtonian Magazine selected Geoff as “Best Local Chef”. In 2019 Geoff was honored with the Flame of Hope award by Georgetown Pediatrics Gala for his work promoting healthy eating in children.
Geoff is also known for high profile political campaigns. In 2006 he led a campaign to repeal the DC Candle Tax. In 2012 he initiated a highly publicized movement against speed cameras. In 2018 he sued the Commonwealth of Virginia over the constitutionality of regulations that limited his free speech in paid advertising. The suit led to legislation abolishing those regulations starting in 2019.
Geoff is an avid golfer and a mediocre racquet sport enthusiast. He is a big proponent of his favorite food . . . bacon. Geoff is extraordinarily fortunate to be married to the love of his life and CBS This Morning Host Norah O’Donnell. They have three children, Grace, Henry, and Riley, who have been roaming the restaurants for the last decade.
