Rocco DiSpirito was born in Jamaica, Queens and took his first cooking lessons as a child in his mother Nicolin's kitchen. He later studied at the Culinary Institute of America and the Jardin de Cygne in France. Rocco also received a B.S. in Business from Boston University and in 1990 opened his first restaurant Union Pacific in New York's Gramercy Park. In the summer of 2003, Rocco opened his second restaurant, Rocco's 22nd Street, as cameras for NBC's The Restaurant watched.

In addition to his many restaurants, Rocco DiSpirito has written four cookbooks, Rocco's Real-Life Recipes, Rocco's Italian American, Rocco's Five Minute Flavor and Flavor which won the coveted James Beard Award. Rocco's fifth cookbook, Rocco Gets Real, came out in the fall of 2008. Rocco appeared on the seventh season Dancing With The Stars and is a frequent guest star on Top Chef, The Biggest Loser and contributor to The Today Show.