Michael Turback was the visionary operator of Turback's of Ithaca for nearly three decades, setting the standard for what we now call "New York State Cuisine." He not only created and nurtured one of the region's first destination restaurants, he built his reputation around his ability to stalk, procure, and support the best of New York State's food and wine.

Turback was trained as a restaurateur at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, and opened Turback's of Ithaca at age 22. Combining inventiveness, passionate cooking with local ingredients, and the novel concept of a wine list with exclusively New York State products, the concepts pioneered Turback's sparked "localvore" trends that are seen throughout today's restaurant industry.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Turback's "one of the wine-friendliest restaurants in America" and the restaurant was awarded "Best American Wine List" by Restaurant Business Magazine.

Turback is the author of many books on the Finger Lakes food and wine scene, including Greeting From the Finger Lakes: A Food and Wine Lover's Companion.