He's cooked for movie stars. He's cooked for presidents. And now he's cooking at Plate. Located in Suburban Square, Ardmore, PA., Tom Harkins is the hip and happening chef that will continue to keep Plate in the spotlight.

A 1989 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Harkins might come across as a working class, "Yo! Philly" kind of guy, but don't be fooled. He cooks with the skill of a classical French chef and the finesse of a fine artist. Step into his kitchen and you'll see his profound passion for his profession. "When I cook, I really get into it. I'm very intense. I contemplate what I'm creating and envision each dish long before I'm done," he says.

Harkins, a lifelong Mummer who marches annually in the comic division of Philadelphia's renowned New Year's Day parade, attributes much of his good fortune to his experience working beside highly disciplined and successful chefs. After graduation, he took a position in the kitchen of Olivier de St. Martin, then executive chef of Founders at Philadelphia's Hotel Atop the Bellevue. He moved quickly up the ladder from gourmet cook to sous chef to chef de cuisine. In 1993, he decided he wanted to run Restaurant 210 at the AAA Five Diamond Rittenhouse Hotel. Through remarkable persistence on his part and a grueling test from Executive Chef Jim Coleman, Harkins landed the job. During his tenure, the restaurant was given the Distinguished Restaurant Award by Conde Nast Traveler magazine and Zagat named it "Best Continental Restaurant" in the city.

While at The Rittenhouse, Harkins prepared meals for numerous celebrities, including Presidents George Bush and Gerald Ford, Billy Joel and Oprah Winfrey. He also created the meals that helped Tom Hanks lose weight while maintaining the energy he needed to film the movie Philadelphia. (Hanks' character was dying of AIDS and had to grow progressively thinner throughout filming). In addition, he served as Pavoratti's personal chef for two entire weeks.

Harkins also had the opportunity to work beside some of the world's most lauded chefs. From each, he walked away with more skill, more inspiration. Included among this elite group were Jean André Charial, a three-star Michelin chef from France's L'Oustau de Baumaniere; Charlie Trotter of the eponymous restaurant in Chicago; and The Food Network's Malto Mario, Mario Batalli of New York's Po, Babbo and Esca. He also cooked with New Orleans' Emeril Lagasse on numerous occasions. Like a sponge he absorbed all of their tricks of the trade.

After The Rittenhouse Hotel, Harkins next spent two years as executive chef at the Moshulu where he won recognition for his Titanic Dinner, an authentic recreation of the last feast of the ill-fated turn-of-the-century luxury liner.

Guests at circa will see and taste Harkins' considerable talent in the form of simple, contemporary, beautifully presented American dishes that draw on influences from all over the world. He loves Mediterranean ingredients - such as saffron, shellfish, olives - and creates meals that not only look beautiful but are backed up with wonderful flavors and textures.

Dishes such as wood-grilled prawns with sweet corn mashed potato and sundried tomato reduction; and Tuscan flat bread with grilled shrimp, basil pesto and fontina cheese are among circa's new appetizers. Entrées include pepper-crusted N.Y. strip steak with sautéed spinach, tomato jam and curry fries; Moroccan lamb sirloin, grilled fennel, tomato and chick pea purée; and wood-grilled Cervena venison medallions with crispy polenta, spicy walnuts, Maytag blue cream and sundried cherry sauce.

Since the age of 12, Tom Harkins knew he wanted to be a chef, and began his career by working in restaurant kitchens. Growing up in the typically blue collar neighborhood of South Philadelphia, his macho childhood friends laughed about his dreams, his passion for cooking. While they were still hanging out on the street corner, he was slaving over hot stoves and saving his money for culinary school. But that was then! And guess who's laughing now?