351: A Celebrity Restaurateur's Blueprint to Scaling an Empire | Fabio Viviani

Published: Dec. 20, 2017, 7:08 p.m.

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Chef Fabio Viviani has harbored a passion for food since his childhood growing up in Florence, Italy. Between training in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine at the top hospitality schools and working with culinary luminaries, Viviani also owned and operated several concepts by the time he was 27 including two nightclubs and five restaurants in Florence.

Teaming up with one of Chicago\\u2019s restaurant consulting group, Dine|Amic, Viviani opened Siena Tavern in Chicago in 2013 and the following year he opened Mercato by Fabio Viviani, a quick-service Italian concept with branches in Chicago and San Diego. In 2015, Viviani continued to make a name for himself in Chicago by opening Bar Siena and Prime & Provisions. In 2016, he expanded to the LAX Delta terminal with the opening of Osteria by Fabio Viviani while opening additional Mercato by Fabio locations in Tempe, Phoenix, Cleveland, and Benton Harbor. In 2017, Fabio opened the Press Room in Detroit hot on the heels of his February opening of Portico by Fabio Viviani in New York\\u2019s del Lago Resort & Casino.

Looking ahead to 2018, Viviani plans to open restaurants in Tampa, Detroit, Washington D.C. and Oklahoma City.

Best known for his television debut on Bravo\\u2019s hit series Top Chef\\u2014earning the \\u201cFan Favorite\\u201d title. He is a recurring guest on national television shows such as Good Morning America, The Rachael Ray Show, The Chew, and countless Food Network Shows such as Cutthroat Kitchen: All-Star Tournament, which he won. In February 2017, he also released \\u201cFabio\\u2019s Kitchen,\\u201d a 52-episode cooking show hosted on YouTube.

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