What inspired Chef Vinny to pursue this career:

“From the time I was 8 years old, I couldn't keep myself out of the kitchen at family parties. Every party was like a catering event in my family. So, food in my family...especially my father, has always held a high importance to us. It's what really keeps us connected to our heritage. I am a first-generation Italian American; we have the culinary industry to thank for making my parent’s American dream come true. Once my cooking teacher in high school (Mrs. Howard at CB South) saw my potential, she wrote me a letter to the restaurant school in Philadelphia, and the rest is history.”

How does Chef approach his menu planning and creating:

“My favorite part of this job is creating / building flavors that cover all the senses. Everything must look good, smell good, and taste good, if not, it does not leave my kitchen, I always tell my guys a little extra love truly goes a long way, and I really try to use that approach to give our guests the best experience possible. My inspiration for dishes always comes from my travels and past culinary endeavors. I love to experiment with all styles of cuisines, but my main 2 are Italian and French, with Asian and Hispanic flavors following close behind. Some chefs that inspire my style of cooking would be guys like Thomas Keller, and Marco Pierre White, their passion and mastery of this culinary world is something to be marveled at! So, I guess inspiration can pop us anywhere, at any time... You just have to pay attention.”

How did Chef’s culinary journey begin:

“I started working as a pizza man at 16 years old at my father's pizza place/ catering business. Once I graduated high school, I went to the restaurant school in Philadelphia. As I was in the city, I staged at the Lowes Hotel Lebech Fin and a few Starr restaurants, along with learning and training under some incredible master chefs/ chefs at the restaurant school like Chef Peppino, Chef Lebae, and many more. Going to France with my school was also an incredible learning experience for me, and I still use it to this day.  I started my internship at Earl’s in Peddler's Village. There I worked under chef Chris Tavares and chef David Zuckerman, who also had a huge hand in molding me into the chef i am today.”

What does Chef enjoy doing in his free time:

“In my downtime, I really just try to cherish my family time with my girls. I am blessed with 2 beautiful daughters (Gianna 4 / Juliette 2) and an amazing wife who is the glue that holds it all together. We love to go out and try new restaurants. We are always at Sky Zone with the girls, lol, and if I’m lucky…I really love to hit the golf course as well.”