Chris Bianco

Last updated
Chris Bianco
Born
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Known forItalian food
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)

  • * Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix, Arizona (1993–present),
    * Pizzeria Bianco, Los Angeles, California (2022–present),
    * Tratto, Phoenix, Arizona,
    * Bar Bianco, Phoenix, Arizona,
    * Pane Bianco, Phoenix, Arizona
Award(s) won

Chris Bianco is an American James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur in Phoenix, Arizona. [1] [2] He operates restaurants in Arizona and California. [3]

Contents

Early life

Bianco was born in the Bronx in 1960, and grew up in Ossining, New York. [4] [5] He had asthma as a child, forcing him to stay inside, where he watched his aunt cook. [4] At age 13 he began working at a local pizzeria. In 1985, he won two plane tickets anywhere in the United States and, on a whim, chose to go to Phoenix. [4] When he got there, he felt connected to the place. Bianco took chef's jobs in Italy and Santa Fe, N.M, and returned to Phoenix in 1993. [6]

Culinary career

Bianco began making mozzarella in his apartment and selling it to Italian restaurants. [4] Later, Guy Coscos, a specialty grocer in Phoenix offered him the opportunity to make and sell pizzas in the corner of his store. [4] Bianco's pizza was popular and he realized he could make pizza for a living.

Bianco opened Pizzeria Bianco with business partner Susan Pool, in 1993. [6] In 1996, the restaurant moved to 623 East Adams Street, the historic site of Baird Machine Shop in Heritage Square.

In 2010, Bianco was hospitalized due to a severe asthma attack and pneumonia. [7] The reason was years of exposure to airborne flour and smoke from making pizza, which caused him to pivot away from pizza-only restaurants and toward pasta. [7] Bianco also operates Bar Bianco, Tratto, and Pane Bianco, located in Midtown Phoenix. [1] [7]

In September 2022, Bianco was featured in the Netflix documentary series Chef's Table: Pizza. [8]

Awards

Bianco's first James Beard Award nomination was in 2000, and he won the James Beard Award in 2003, when he was the first pizzaiolo to be named Best Chef Southwest. [9]

In 2022, Bianco was named Outstanding Restaurateur by the James Beard Foundation, the industry’s highest award. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang Puck</span> Austrian-American chef and restaurateur

Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-American chef and restaurateur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grimaldi's Pizzeria</span> American pizzeria chain

Grimaldi's Pizzeria is an American pizzeria chain from the New York City area with several restaurants throughout the United States. Its most famous restaurant is under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn at 1 Front Street, next door to its original location. Zagat Survey rated Grimaldi's the No. 1 Pizzeria in New York in 2007. With a carry-out and delivery service model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022 it had 43 restaurants in operation overall. It does not sell slices, only whole pies, which are cooked by coal-fired brick oven. It also sells wines and appetizers, as well as calzones. Among deserts are cannoli and tiramisu, as well as New York-style cheesescake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Falkner</span> American consulting chef

Elizabeth Falkner is an American chef, pastry chef, author, restaurateur, and consulting chef. She has appeared as a competitor and sometimes a judge on reality television cooking competitions, and she is a Top Chef television series alum. She is currently residing and working in Los Angeles, California,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Silverton</span> American chef, baker, and author (born 1954)

Nancy Silverton is an American chef, baker, and author. The winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, Silverton is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Douglas (chef)</span>

Tom Douglas is an American executive chef, restaurateur, author, and radio talk show host, and winner of the 1994 James Beard Award for Best Northwest Chef. In 2012 he also won the James Beard Award as Best Restaurateur. He is the author of Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen, which was named the Best American Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation and KitchenAid, in 2001. In 2005, he appeared on an episode of the Food Network's Iron Chef America, in which he defeated Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Chang</span> American chef and TV personality

David Chang is an American restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin stars, which the restaurant has retained each year since. He co-founded the influential food magazine Lucky Peach in 2011 which lasted for 25 quarterly volumes into 2017. In 2018, Chang created, produced, and starred in a Netflix original series called Ugly Delicious, and through his Majordomo Media group, he has produced and/or starred in more television and podcasts. On November 29, 2020, he became the first celebrity to win the $1,000,000 top prize for his charity, Southern Smoke Foundation, and the fourteenth overall million dollar winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Beard Foundation Award</span> Annual awards for culinary professionals in the US

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awards are presented at a dinner in New York City; the chef and restaurant awards were also presented in New York until 2015, when the foundation's annual gala moved to Chicago. Chicago will continue to host the Awards until 2027.

Starr Restaurants, stylized as STARR Restaurants, is a restaurant group headed by founder and CEO Stephen Starr, with restaurants in Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., South Florida, and Paris, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizzeria Bianco</span> Phoenix, Arizona pizza restaurant

Pizzeria Bianco is a pizza restaurant in downtown Phoenix, Arizona established in 1987 by Chris Bianco, and has earned very positive reviews by notable food critics. Nationally recognized for its pizzas, the restaurant's small seating capacity can lead to wait times that sometimes surprise casual patrons. The restaurant features a wood-fired oven and homemade mozzarella cheese used in pizzas primarily fashioned by the owner himself. In 2013, the restaurant established a second location in the Biltmore Area of Phoenix. In 2022, the restaurant opened a third location, in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Gross</span> American chef

Christopher Gross is an American chef and businessman. He is the owner of Christopher's & Crush Lounge, located in Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix, Arizona.

Paul Bartolotta is an American chef and restaurateur. Most recently he is known for his authentic style and his innovative approach to importing fresh seafood from Mediterranean waters. Paul Bartolotta has won the James Beard Foundation Award twice—once for Best Chef: Midwest, and again for Best Chef: Southwest (2009), at Bartolotta, Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas. He is a recipient of the Insegna del Ristorante Italiano del Mondo, which was awarded to him in 1997 by Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, the President of Italy at the time.

Ford Fry is an American chef and restaurateur based in Atlanta, Georgia. His team consists of 13 restaurants in Georgia, three restaurants in Houston, two in Charlotte and two in Nashville. Fry's portfolio of restaurants includes JCT. Kitchen & Bar, no. 246, The Optimist, King + Duke, St. Cecilia, The El Felix, Superica, Marcel State of Grace, BeetleCat, and La Lucha. Several of Fry's restaurants have received various accolades. In October 2015, CBS This Morning described Fry as "one of the most prolific chefs and restaurateurs" in the United States. In March 2021, Atlanta Eats dubbed Fry "a peerless restaurateur with many beloved brands."

James Alefantis is an American chef and restaurateur. He founded and owns two restaurants in Washington, D.C., including the pizzeria Comet Ping Pong, and American restaurant Buck's Fishing & Camping. He is also the president of the art gallery Transformer in Logan Circle, Washington, D.C. In 2012, GQ named him one of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C.

Ashley Christensen is an American chef, restaurateur, author, and culinary celebrity. She is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the chef + proprietor of AC Restaurants, a hospitality group that operates Poole's Diner, Fox Liquor Bar, Beasley's Chicken + Honey, Death & Taxes, Poole'side Pies, and AC Events. A two-time James Beard Award winner, she is widely credited for helping to put Raleigh's food scene on the map.

Matthew James Matheson is a Canadian chef, restaurateur, and internet personality. He was the executive chef of Parts & Labour, a restaurant located in Toronto, Ontario, which permanently closed on January 1, 2019. Matheson has since started Matty's Patty's Burger Club, a takeout restaurant in Toronto, Canada, which opened in December, 2020. In April 2022, Matheson opened Prime Seafood Palace, which is also located in Toronto. Matheson regularly appeared on Vice's show Munchies. He previously hosted Viceland's It's Suppertime! and Dead Set on Life.

Cathy Whims is an American chef and restaurateur based in Portland, Oregon. She is a six-time James Beard Foundation Award finalist, and has owned several restaurants in Portland, including Genoa, Nostrana, and the pizzeria Oven and Shaker.

Ann Kim is a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza in Portland, Oregon</span>

The American city of Portland, Oregon has been recognized for its pizza culture and establishments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hakki Akdeniz</span> Kurdish chef

Hakki Akdeniz is a Kurdish restaurateur and pizza chef. He is owner and founder of the pizzeria chain Champion Pizza in New York City.

References

  1. 1 2 Yee, Natasha. "Breadwinner: Chris Bianco Reflects on Life, Pizza, and Family After His Second James Beard Award". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  2. ↑ Kang, Matthew (2022-02-22). "After Years of Promises, Chris Bianco Is Finally Opening Pizzeria Bianco in LA". Eater LA. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  3. ↑ Brody, Lanae (2022-09-09). "Jimmy Kimmel's Friend Chef Chris Bianco Says His New LA Pizzeria Means 'I Get to See More Jimmy'". People Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Levine, E. "The road to pizza nirvana goes through Phoenix", The New York Times , 2004-07-07. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  5. ↑ "Chris Bianco- Wiki, Age, Height, Net Worth, Wife, Marriage, Career". NewsTimes. 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  6. 1 2 "Who's Who: Chris Bianco". www.pizzamarketplace.com. 2003-06-24. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  7. 1 2 3 Anderson, Brett (2016-10-18). "A Legendary Pizza Maker Steps Away From the Fire". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  8. ↑ Duda, Jessica Boehm,Jeremy (2022-08-31). "This Phoenix pizza maker is going to be on Netflix's "Chef's Table"". Axios. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  9. ↑ "Chris Bianco: Still Humble After Earning Top James Beard Award - PMQ Pizza Magazine". www.pmq.com. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  10. ↑ Harris, Jen (2022-09-05). "Grieving the loss of a friend — and remembering, with pizza". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.