An Interview with – Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani
When it comes to Fashion, Food, and Sex, it’s tough to out-do an Italian man. You probably know Fabio Viviani as being the Top Chef Season 5 Fan Favorite, a Top Chef All-Star, and the biggest personality on Life After Top Chef – but there’s much more to this boisterous TV personality. After a 15-minute conversation, he’d made us laugh, made us hungry, and made us understand on a whole different why he’s been so successful since he was ousted from Top Chef over a hamburger.
The 3 F’s: Here at The 3 F’s, we feel that the best FOOD is simple, fresh, and authentic.Who taught you to make magic with only a few ingredients?
Fabio Viviani: Well that’s the best part about it – there’s nothing magic about it. You just have to use them right, and you don’t want complicate something simple. You know, sometimes less is more. Sometimes there is a natural sexiness in leaving things the way that they are. If something tastes full and delicious, why would you want to complicate it?
T3F: What is your death row meal? If you had to pick the very last meal you’d ever eat, what would it be?
FV: If I could have anything I want in the whole world, my very last meal would be a whole roasted chicken – boneless because since it’s my last meal so I don’t want to waste time taking the bones out. So, boneless whole roasted chicken and a bottle of wine. Well screw that, two bottles of wine, it’s my last meal anyways.
T3F: And what would you eat with the chicken?
FV: Nothing, just chicken. Maybe another chicken. No side dishes.
T3F: Any particular kind of wine?
FV: Something red, something heavy. I would love to get a headache on my last meal, just because it’s the last one.
T3F: You won’t be there the next morning to feel the hangover anyway, so why not?
FV: That’s right, the one time I can’t get a hangover the next day, who cares how heavy the wine is? But something old, something from Tuscany, like a Chianti or a Barbaresco from the North of Italy. Something really heavy, like a headache wine.
T3F: If you could cook a meal for anyone, who would it be and what would you cook?
FV: If I could cook a meal for anyone, I would love three people at the table. My grandmother who died in 2005, Pope Jean Paul II, not the actual one, the former one, because I met him once when I was 8, and that would be a great guest at my dinner table. And, Sylvester Stallone. I grew up with Sylvester Stallone, I’d love to make a meal for Sylvester Stallone.
T3F: And what would you cook for them?
FV: I think I would cook for them a roasted chicken and two bottles of wine.
T3F: Although as a professional chef, we’ve assumed that Food is your “F”, we also feel that you’re no stranger to FASHION. How important was fashion to you growing up?
FV: Well I grew up with food stamps so there was no money for food, definitely there was no money for clothing. But, as an Italian person, I grew up with a good sense of how to dress properly, and how to have the right attire for the right occasion.
T3F: Do you have a favorite designer?
FV: I mean don’t get me wrong, I like certain designers – I like Hugo Boss. I think there are a lot of good designers out there, but the one I like, nobody’s aware of because it’s a guy in Italy who makes 50 pairs of shoes a year, and nobody knows about it but the 50 lucky people who end up buying them.
T3F: Do you want to tell us who that is, or is it a secret?
FV: Well, I like to keep that kind of hidden, because I made a mistake once, I did brag about the guy that was making my clothing, and since the day that I put that out there, he takes twice as long to make my own clothing.
T3F: Well at least you put beautiful clothing on so many people.
FV: Yeah, but I like to be the one that stands out.
T3F: Between your culinary talent, gregarious personality, Italian accent, and European SEX appeal, it’s no surprise that you won Fan Favorite for your season of Top Chef.
FV: Oh, European sex appeal I like that. I knew about the accent but I didn’t know about the European sex appeal.
T3F: What is your biggest turn-on?
FV: I have to get to know somebody before I get turned on by them. But what turns me on is a women who is ladylike in public, but then gets kinky when we’re home…that is the biggest turn-on for me.
T3F: How has becoming a professional chef and TV personality affected your romantic life?
FV: I think I did affect the romantic life for a lot of people. I’m teaching some lessons to the boys out there. I have always been a gentlemen, I have always been very lucky in my love life. Luckily enough I never had a lot of problems finding myself a date or anything, but again, I behave myself, I treat them right so they’re coming back for more I guess.
T3F: With food too.
FV: With food too, yes correct, you’re right.
T3F: So you treat your women like you treat your food?
FV: Well I would say I treat women better than my food.
T3F: Well Fabio, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. And if you’re ever in San Francisco, I know to you sushi is just bait, but we have the best sushi in the world.
FV: Haha, I did say that, and I mean it. But I do eat sushi, so I would love to get some sushi with you.
T3F: Done and done.
Great interview
Thanks Rosa !!