Moonen graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and then went on to work at New York City's La Côte Basque, Le Cirque, and The Water Club, where he worked for six years.[citation needed] He then became executive chef and partner at Oceana before he opened rm in New York, which earned three stars from The New York Times.[citation needed] He was also partner in the Greek Restaurant, Molyvos, which also received three stars from the New York Times.[citation needed] He was one of very few chefs in New York to have three stars from two separate open restaurantsIn in New York.[citation needed] In 2005, Moonen closed the New York Restaurant rm in order to open Rick Moonen's RM Seafood and r bar café at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.[1]