Francis Derby
Born1977 or 1978 (age 47–48)[1]
Bellport, New York, United States

Francis J. Derby is an American chef. He was trained under Paul Liebrandt, going on to help open and work in restaurants like wd~50, Mugaritz, and Momofuku Ssäm Bar, before opening his own concepts.

Early life

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Derby was born and raised in Bellport, New York,[2] having grown up on his grandfather's duck farm.[1][3] He began working in restaurants at age 14, becoming a dishwasher at a local seafood restaurant.[3] From there, he began doing prep work and assisting chefs, finding himself working at three different restaurants in Bellport by the time he was 18 years old.[2]

Career

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Derby moved to New York City around the year 2000, working under chef Paul Liebrandt's restaurant, Atlas.[3] He would go on to help Wylie Dufresne open his restaurant, wd~50, move to Spain to work at Mugaritz under chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, return to New York to develop menu concepts with Liebrant at Gilt, worked as sous chef under David Chang at Momofuku Ssäm Bar, and then became chef de cuisine at Shorty's .32 under chef Josh Eden.[3][2]

In January 2012, Derby worked for King in Soho,[4] only holding the position for three months before walking out.[5]

Derby was employed by Jeffrey Epstein from May to November 2012, acting as one of his personal chefs. Derby prepared beef jerky for Epstein, causing the phrase "jerky" to appear multiple times in the Epstein files. It was hypothesized by conspiracy theorists that the phrase "jerky" referred to human meat, a claim that would be debunked. Further encouraging conspiracy theorists, Derby was the executive chef for a restaurant and butcher's shop called The Cannibal,[6] which was named after the nickname of Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx.[7][8]

In 2013, Derby created a menu to serve alongside a showing of American Psycho at Nitehawk Cinema.[9]

Derby moved across the United States, from New York to Los Angeles, California,[10] to open The Cannibal in 2016.[11]

In March 2023, Derby helped organize a fundraiser to benefit the workers of Crescent Duck Farm, who were laid off following an outbreak of H5N1.[12][13] Later in the year, Derby, along with his partners, opened The State Room in Patchogue, New York.[1] He would later launch Shands General, another restaurant, in Patchogue. Derby left the area in May 2025 to become the culinary director at Arbus Hospitality, which oversees operations at hotels such as The Halyard at Sound View, on Greenport's waterfront, and The Harborfront Inn, also in Greenport.[14]

Personal life

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Derby's grandfather, Lou Gallo, owned the Gallo Duck Farm, and was in the industry until 1987.[13]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Marcus, Erika (30 August 2023). "The State Room opens in former BrickHouse Brewery in Patchogue". Newsday.
  2. 1 2 3 Schug, Parker (18 September 2025). "A Long Island native is head of all things delicious at The Halyard". North Forker.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Park, Michael (26 February 2015). "The Cannibal: A Work in Progress, in a Good Way". Bon Appetit.
  4. Fabricant, Florence (9 January 2012). "King Cozies Up in SoHo". New York Times.
  5. Morabito, Greg (26 March 2012). "Chef Francis Derby OUT at King After Just Three Months". Eater.
  6. Solares, Nick (12 March 2014). "Francis Derby's Morcilla at The Cannibal". Eater.
  7. Liles, Jordan (19 February 2026). "Epstein files' references to 'jerky' fuel cannibalism claims. The records tell a different story". Snopes.
  8. Mitchell, Margaret. "Jeffrey Epstein had the diet of a sick man". The Spectator.
  9. Morabito, Greg (17 January 2013). "Francis Derby to Cook American Psycho Meal at Nitehawk". Eater.
  10. Ferst, Devra (25 July 2016). "Chefs Are Flocking To Los Angeles. Here's Why". Tasting Table.
  11. Wang, Andy (23 March 2016). "Market-Minded Chefs Set Up Their Own Shops in L.A." Observer.
  12. Olsen, Amanda (4 March 2023). "'Flock Together' raises more than $50k for Crescent Duck Farm workers". The Suffolk Times.
  13. 1 2 Civiletti, Denise (20 February 2025). "Top chefs 'flock together' for Crescent Duck Farm fundraiser to support laid-off workers". Riverhead Local.
  14. Erika, Marcus (16 September 2025). "Chef Francis Derby departs Patchogue for Greenport". Newsday.