Chef
Fabio Viviani
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
i. Biography
The Path
Training at IPSSAR Saffi gave Fabio Viviani the formal base, but the trade was learned on the floor and in the pass. He started as a bakery worker at Local bakery in Florence, Italy, then moved into service pressure as sous chef at Il Pallaio trattoria in Florence, Italy (from 1992). Ownership came later, after the operating side of hospitality had already been absorbed from the inside. Viviani became owner and operator at Seven restaurants, a farmhouse, and two nightclubs in Florence, Italy (until 2005), a wider portfolio that points to range across formats without leaving the trade behind. The move from staff role to operator marks the point where he stopped only working in other people’s rooms and began shaping the rooms himself. Public recognition followed on television, first as contestant at Top Chef in Bravo (2008) and then as return contestant at Top Chef: All Stars in Bravo (2010). Those appearances widened the reach of Fabio Viviani’s name, but they did not replace the restaurant work beneath it. In 2012, he added host at Chow Ciao in Yahoo! (from 2012) and cast member at Life After Top Chef in Bravo (2012), extending his profile while remaining tied to food and service. The current portfolio shows a restaurateur working across multiple markets while keeping an Italian center of gravity. Viviani is owner and operator of Café Firenze (since 2005), owner and operator of Firenze Osteria (since 2005), co-owner / opener of Siena Tavern (since 2013), operator of Mercato by Fabio Viviani, opened restaurant of Portico at the del Lago Resort and Casino (since 2017), and co-opener of Osteria OKC (since 2018). Taken together, those roles read less like branding than operating range.
The Work Today
At Siena Tavern in Chicago, Illinois, Fabio Viviani has served as Executive Chef Partner since 2013. The title places him in a visible Chicago dining room, where the work is part kitchen leadership and part front-facing standard-setting. It is a role that ties his name to a restaurant, but also to the steadiness required to keep a room moving in a city that pays attention to food. The quote is useful because it stays practical. It reflects a chef who speaks about place in terms of infrastructure, audience, and the conditions that matter to a working restaurant. That line places necessity at the center of the story, which is often closer to the trade than the polished version. For Viviani, the restaurant business began as work first, and only later became a career with reach.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Fabio
What is Fabio Viviani's current role?
As of 2026, Fabio Viviani is Executive Chef Partner.
Where did Fabio Viviani train or study?
Fabio Viviani trained at IPSSAR Saffi.
What recognition has Fabio Viviani received?
Webby Award for Best Web Personality/Host (2012).
