The recipient of many awards for his comfortable cooking style, Valenti is best known for his salmon gravlax and slow-cooked meats, particularly braised lamb shanks.

[2] After graduating from high school, Valenti took a job working pastry at a local Ithaca French restaurant, l'Auberge du Cochon Rouge.

Exposure to the traditional Escoffier style of French cooking led him to relocate to Rye, New York where he accepted a job as a private chef to a wealthy family.

[3] Upon completion of his internship at Savoy's Paris restaurant, Valenti departed France via Charles de Gaulle Airport where a friend introduced him to Alfred Portale who was returning from his own culinary study period.

New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl declared Valenti a "clairvoyant in the kitchen", describing his "meat-oriented dishes" as "offering exactly what I wanted to eat.

In the spring of 2001, Valenti opened his signature restaurant Ouest on the corner of Broadway and 84th street in Manhattan's Upper West Side.

A converted dry cleaner store, the "L-shaped" interior layout was remodeled by designer Peter Neimetz, focusing on cozy leather booths and soft lighting with balcony alcoves.

[10] In March 2018, Valenti opened "Oxbow Tavern" on Columbus Ave at 71st St in Manhattan's Upper West Side neighborhood.

[11] Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Valenti assembled his good friends Waldy Malouf of Beacon, Michael Lomonaco of Windows on the World and attorney-restaurant financier David Emil, establishing the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund dedicated to benefit the surviving family members of victims from the foodservice industry.

The menu, a tribute to the cooking style he learned in his grandmother's kitchen, was decidedly Italian in nature and quickly gained notoriety and acclaim.