Christian Petroni is a celebrity chef with a significant presence on the Food Network for years. He was born in 1983 and raised in an Italian family in the Bronx, New York. He spent a lot of time in the kitchen learning to make Italian feasts as a kid and knew he wanted to be part of the restaurant industry from a very young age. Petroni's career is marked by a blend of culinary expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and a deep connection to his Italian-American roots.
Early Career and Restaurant Ventures
By 2013, Petroni had opened the first of what would become five uber-successful restaurants in New York and Connecticut under the name Fortina, in the tiny but affluent hamlet of Armonk, New York. Prior to that, he had helmed several popular kitchens and partnered with three other New York chefs to open Cooked & Co., a restaurant in well-heeled Scarsdale, New York. As you can surmise, Petroni has always been and remains a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker. He resides in Bedford, New York, which is home to the village of Katonah, which also counts Martha Stewart as a resident.
Television Appearances and Recognition
Petroni's career took off when he appeared as a judge on Chopped Junior in 2016. He has also appeared as a judge on Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, among other series. Additionally, he has competed on Chopped and Food Network Star, which he won in 2018 along with co-winner, Jess Tom. Petroni is currently on the Cooking Channel's My Fave vs. Your Fave, which debuted on February 28, 2021. And let's not forget that as of March 7, you'll be able to catch Petroni on the Food Network's second season of Tournament of Champions. His nickname, according to IMDb, is "The Great Hambino," which sounds like a reference to a character from the 1993 film, The Sandlot: Hamilton "Ham" Porter - a kid who played the position of catcher on his baseball team.
Restaurant Hustle 2020: All On The Line
Petroni was one of four chef-and-restaurateurs (along with Marcus Samuelson) featured in Guy Fieri's heartbreakingly authentic Food Network documentary, Restaurant Hustle 2020: All On The Line, which examined how chefs around the nation have been managing their restaurants amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "He has made sure that the Fortina brand will continue to grow in his absence. Christian Petroni didn't take his decision to leave Fortina lightly, and it wasn't solely because the pandemic posed so many challenges for those in the restaurant industry. In fact, it was a decision he had been contemplating before the pandemic hit. He told LoHud, "Essentially it came down to fact that I was ready to do my own thing the way I wanted to do it. That being said, running Fortina during the pandemic was "one of the hardest and darkest times of his life," Petroni remarked. As LoHud put it, he saw "the fruits of his labor virtually disintegrate overnight." Even without the shadow of COVID-19, the restaurant business is hard, he noted. "But right now it's crazy scary, not only for the busboys and waiters and dishwashers but for the many sub-industries that touch the restaurant business.
New Projects and Family Life
What will Petroni do next? He's "working on something," he assured LoHud. Christian Petroni has a wife named wife, Sheri. Together they have two children, Beau and Briar Rose, who often make their way onto Petroni's Instagram feed. The former owner of the Fortina restaurant group, which owned five restaurant locations, four of which were in New York, and one of which was in Connecticut, is now focusing on an undisclosed project that promises to be "awesome" and "cool." In addition, he sells T-shirts and hoodies emblazoned with the word "Gabagool" on them.
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Culinary Inspiration from Aruba
Petroni's culinary heritage runs deeper than his New York roots. With his own culinary inspiration infused with all the flavor of his upbringing, Petroni felt right at home in an unexpectedly diverse destination: the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. "I only do a handful of these food festivals, even though there are so many really great ones to choose from," said Petroni in an interview after returning from his time in Aruba. More than just a culinary festival, Autentico feels like a celebration of Aruba’s immense diversity through the universal language of food. Part of the magic of the event was how it brought together world-renowned chefs and the incredible local talent of the island. "There were so many incredible local businesses involved, the type of places normally you'd have to tip the taxi driver an extra 20 to take you. What the folks at the tourism board and Autentico were able to do was put them all in front of you with booth after booth of great local food. Combining that with the presence of these top-notch resorts like The St.
"Aruba is a melting pot in a way that surprised me, in a way that actually felt somewhat like the Bronx, right? The lineup of Autentico featured a wide range of events across the island, including a restaurant week in which over 40 local restaurants created exclusive prix-fixe menus showcasing everything from contemporary takes on classic island dishes to international fare. It culminated in The Pavilion, a two-day, open-air event held along Wilhelminastraat in the heart of Oranjestad, Aruba’s capital. Petroni participated in a number of different events, including small-group cooking demos that offering an up-close look techniques. The pair created a hand-rolled semolina breadstick covered in toasted sesame seeds, rubbed with butter made from grass-fed cows and wrapped in aged prosciutto. At The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, Petroni hosted an dinner bash on the beach for about 80 guests, a collaborative culinary experience that was one of the festival's highlight events. "To work with the resort's chef Nando Meijer from the Netherlands was such a great experience,” he added.
Parm to Table: A Culinary Celebration
Petroni's time on the island followed the release of his debut cookbook, Parm to Table. An instant New York Times bestseller with a foreword written by Martha Stewart, the book celebrates and shares the recipes that helped make the Bronx-born, Italian-American chef so passionate about cooking in the first place. "This book really fulfilled me as as a cook, as a person, as a father," he said. Spending a week in Aruba for Autentico was the perfect way to celebrate its success. "The island is really incredible and such a gorgeous destination, and I loved it so much that I'm taking my family back in the spring," Petroni said.
Food-Related Books
2016 was a great year for books about food and drink, food-related issues, cooking techniques, and culinary history. The Splendid Table staff gathered some of our favorites.
Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes
by Ronni Lundy
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Ronni Lundy is from Appalachia, a land of story tellers.
The Spice Companion: A Guide to the World of Spices
by Lior Lev Sercarz
Lior has to be a spice whisperer. He senses and nudges out dimensions of spices that are often unrealized. He is a master of spice blends.
Gods, Wasps and Stranglers: The Secret History and Redemptive Future of Fig Trees
by Mike Shanahan
This is a “who knew?” kind of book. Every chapter has at least one of that sort of nugget. The author has lived and breathed his subject for years. And who knew how important this fruit tree has been and still is.
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Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Apertivo Cocktail, with Recipes
by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau
I am convinced we all need to s-l-o-w down and make time to sit and talk and sip with friends over a low-alcohol cocktail, every single day.
Far Afield: Rare Food Encounters from Around the World
by Shane Mitchell
This book quells my wanderlust, and sits front and center on my coffee table. Journalist Shane Mitchell and photographer James Fisher have traveled the world on assignment for a number of food and travel publications.
Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients That Fuel Brainpower, Boost Weight Loss, and Transform Your Health
Drew Ramsey, MD
While I’m not a fan of “diet” books generally speaking, Dr. Ramsey’s book illustrates the important connection between food and brain health. Ramsey is a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and a strong proponent of incorporating a nutrition-based approach to clinical treatment.
Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (with Recipes)
by Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton
For someone without a single tattoo, I have a very strange, longstanding obsession with food and chef tattoos. So of course I love this book, which really gets at the question, “What is it about chefs & tattoos?” Fitzgerald profiles dozens of chefs' personal stories that are accompanied by beautiful illustrations from MacNaugthon. Want to add some edge to your cooking style?
Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South
by Vivian Howard
In her interview on The Splendid Table, I was intrigued by how Chef Howard likened her hometown area in rural eastern North Carolina to “our most vibrant culinary regions in the world like Tuscany or Provence.” The food of her region is as “hyper-local” and steeped in tradition. Her book is scholarly but approachable and so interesting to read - and she will make you want to cook.
Cook Korean! Something to Food About: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs
by Questlove
Musician and inquisitive foodie Questlove interviews chefs for essays (including very stylish photography) on the creative similarity and connective nature between cooking food and making music.
The Old-Time Saloon
by George Ade
Originally published in 1931 and republished this year with modern footnotes and annotations, this book looks at The Noble Experiment of Prohibition in America during what would be its waning years before repeal.
Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook
by Robb Walsh
An update to Robb Walsh’s original 2002 edition with new features include even more pitmasters and barbecue joints.
Podcasts
We've rounded up a few more of our favorite podcasts to whet your appetite. This weekly public radio podcast beloved by foodies launched back in 1995 (Julia Child was one of the show's earliest guests). In its younger days, the hour-long episodes tended to focus more on hands-on cooking tips; it later focused on chef interviews and cultural dives. "We've always been a show about the culture of food. It's the great unifier,” says Swift, cocreator of the show. And the host, Francis Lam - a food journalist with deft listening skills - has a way of bringing out the most fascinating culinary stories. Cook's Illustrated Magazine founder Christopher Kimball signs in from Boston every week to host this roughly hour-long podcast and public radio show, Milk Street Radio. "I've come to believe you can learn a lot about a person just by asking them what they like to eat and how they like to eat it,” says Dan Pashman, host of the Stitcher podcast The Sporkful. And “anywhere” for this James Beard Award-winning podcast has recently been everywhere from a deep dive into the food-stained but impeccably penned recipe cards in Georgia O'Keefe's recipe box (Chicken flautas! On Episode 3, called “Cod Save America,” Nosrat helps out a caller befuddled by what to do with canned sardines. "Talk shop with obsessed home cooks everywhere” is the mantra of this show hosted by the relatable Joy Manning and Marisa McClellan, longtime friends and food writers who talk about their own eating adventures (Joy has been trying a plant-based diet for her heart health) and encourage listeners to try new things like chickpea dumplings and parsnip cake.