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Conlon was born in 1980 or 1981.[6] At the early age of 15, Conlon showed interest in cooking and gained knowledge of classic sensibilities.[7] Conlon graduated from Greater Lowell Technical High School in 1999.[6][8]
He became the youngest chef to win the AAA 4 Diamond Award for Augustine’s at Fredericksburg Square in Virginia.[14][9]
Conlon and his business partner, Adrienne Lo, founded X-marx, an underground supper club in Chicago that served seven to 12 courses, three to four times per week, without repeating dishes and no repetition of a dish to serve.[13][15][16]
In November 2012, Conlon and Lo opened their own fine-dining restaurant, Fat Rice, named after the home-style arroz gordo in Logan Square, Chicago.[17] Conlon was the head chef of Fat Rice.[18] After interviewing previous workers of Fat Rice The New York Times reported in 2020 that the employees largely portrayed Conlon as "an extreme example of a restaurant-business archetype: a tantrum-prone chef who rules by fear and bullying".[19] He published a letter of regret, saying, "I have hurt and let down many people. I hear the criticism of my character and behavior. As process and reflect, I'm realizing who I am, who I've become, and how I need to change. I am taking this time to learn and to grow so that I may be better for the people I have damaged."[20]
