A native of Chicago’s south side, Chef Steve Chiappetti of Viand definitely has cooking in his blood. His family name is behind Chicago’s oldest slaughter and packinghouse, Chiappetti Lamb and Veal, which after 51 years of business is the last remaining slaughterhouse in the Chicago Stockyards.
Born of European parents—his father Italian, his mother French—Chiappetti grew up in a household obsessed with food. Early on he absorbed a wealth of Old World culinary values, the best of which Chiappetti believes is the greatness of simple food that satisfies the soul. “And also that a warm atmosphere, friendship and conviviality are just as important as the rest of your ingredients,” Chiappetti adds.
Firmly grounded from childhood in the fundamentals of southern European fare, especially that of Provence, Chiappetti forged his own unique style of cooking with a mixture of formal training and hands-on experience. After attending the Culinary School at Kendall College, he worked under a series of impressive mentors, among them Fernand Gutierrez at the Ritz Carlton Dining Room and Chef Paul Bartolotta at Spiaggia. Chiappetti’s talent got him tapped to represent the U.S. in the Bocuse d’Or, one of Europe’s most prestigious food competitions. In 1997, he was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef Award. Despite his busy schedule, Chiappetti was also able to cook for the prestigious Cunard Liner, Queen Elizabeth 2.
As a chef and entrepreneur, Chiappetti went on to blaze his own trail, opening a string of successful, highly acclaimed restaurants. Mango, an American Bistro, garnered three stars from respectively, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times, rocketing Chiappetti to the center of Chicago’s culinary scene. Next, Grapes, a three-star Mediterranean café, was a funky, neighborhood place with a colorful dining room. Chiappetti later joined forces with the Chicago Symphony to open Rhapsody, a three-star contemporary American bistro. Chiappetti then consulted on the Freehling Room, the private donors club at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, before moving on to Café le Coq, a classic French Bistro in Oak Park, Illinois. Chiappetti and his wife, Leslie, currently own Banana Bakery in Westchester, Illinois, and the Monkey Fudge Factory. Chiappetti’s Edible World, a gourmet line of products, was also launched.
A Today Show regular and a repeat Disney Food & Wine Festival chef, Chiappetti says the essence of good cooking always has simplicity at its center. “To me, any food worth eating is in some way comfort food!” he says. “At Viand, I’m re-inventing and reinterpreting a lot of classics and favorites. I love to make dishes that are new and familiar at the same time.”
