“Good cooking and a lot of flavor don’t have to take a lot of time,” says Fabio Viviani, chef, restauranteur and TV personality, explaining why he wrote Fabio’s 30-Minute Italian (St. Martin’s 2017; $27.99), his beautifully photographed cookbook filled with wond
erfully accessible recipes. “The whole premise is easy.”
Viviani, who grew up in Florence, Italy, started working in a bakery when he was 11 not so much from a love of food but because he needed to work to help out his family. But labor developed into a passion. Now 28 years later, he’s amassed a food empire with two California vineyards, several cookbooks, stints on several Top Chef show (he won Fan Favorite on Season Five), restaurants including two in Chicago—Siena Tavern and Prime & Provisions and his Mercado concept, described as a “rustic-yet refined eatery destination by celebrity chef Fabio Viviani” with locations that include Chicago, Tempe, Arizona and Benton Harbor, Michigan.
He also currently has a weekly web series, “Fabio’s Kitchen” and is doing “Dinner is Served,” an online video series
With such a busy schedule, I wonder if he ever gets tired of cooking.
“I like it,” he says, “sometimes I don’t. It’s like a marriage, you yell at each other and then you go back to it.”
Asked what recipes he might recommend for those who haven’t cooked Italian before, Viviani recommends the chapters on pasta and salads because they have, for the most part particularly if you don’t make your pasta from scratch, “have less ingredients and take less time.”
Noting that his Italian heritage taught him less is more, Viviani says “you don’t have to overdo it to put really good food on the table.”
Ifyougo:
What: Fabio will be doing a presentation, cooking demo, Q&A, & cookbook signing.
When: Tuesday, May 16 at
Where: Snaidero Showroom, 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL
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