Occupation Celebrity Chef and author with restaurants Mistura and Sopra, a regular chef expert on CityLine, seen on The Food Network and HGTV’s Restaurant Makeover.
What’s your secret food vice? Good quality cheese from anywhere.
What is your number one comfort food? Chicken noodle soup.
What are the top three things you do to keep a balanced lifestyle? Take personal time, turn my cell phone off, maintain a routine from breakfast to dinner with a balanced diet and some exercise – be positive and laugh a lot!
What is your biggest food challenge? Eating too much of the good stuff – anything fatty or fried I go gaga for!
What keeps you eating a balanced diet? Eating fresh, unprocessed food, local, organic, and in season is the way I keep healthy.
What must you always have in your fridge? Prosecco/champagne, beer, Coke, tonic water, Reggiano cheese, pancetta, bacon or salted pork belly, good quality hot dogs, mustards, anchovies, capers, milk, cream, butter, onions, carrots, celery, filtered water, cheese and eggs.
What are some of your go-to meals? Pasta, rice, bean salads, grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, scaloppini Milanese, and vegetable frittata.
Strangest foods you’ve tried? I am OK with most foods, but prairie oysters and Icelandic fermented shark meat along with the preserved Chinese egg are the difficult ones. Also ice cream sodas (I know … I still cannot get my head wrapped around it).
What have you been busy with lately? I have a new cookbook called 3 Chefs, The Kitchen men with Jason Parsons & Michael Bonacini. I am also working at my restaurant assisting chef Derek Von Raesfeld with the creations of new menus, as well as redeveloping the menu with Damian Harrington at the Rainbow Room in Niagara Falls. I am also the brand ambassador for SAMSUNG appliances.
What’s next for you? A vacation comes to mind!