A native of Chicago's south side, Chef Steve Chiappetti of Viand definitely has cooking in his blood. His family name is behind Chicago's oldest slaughter and packinghouse, Chiappetti Lamb and Veal, which after 51 years of business is the last remaining slaughterhouse in the Chicago Stockyards.

Born of European parents—his father Italian, his mother French—Chiappetti grew up in a household obsessed with food. Early on he absorbed a wealth of Old World culinary values, the best of which Chiappetti believes is the greatness of simple food that satisfies the soul. "And also that a warm atmosphere, friendship and conviviality are just as important as the rest of your ingredients," Chiappetti adds.

Firmly grounded from childhood in the fundamentals of southern European fare, especially that of Provence, Chiappetti forged his own unique style of cooking with a mixture of formal training and hands-on experience. After attending the Culinary School at Kendall College, he worked under a series of impressive mentors, among them Fernand Gutierrez at the Ritz Carlton Dining Room and Chef Paul Bartolotta at Spiaggia. Chiappetti’s talent got him tapped to represent the U.S. in the Bocuse d'Or, one of Europe’s most prestigious food competitions. In 1997, he was nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef Award.

As a chef and entrepreneur, Chiappetti went on to blaze his own trail, opening a string of successful, highly acclaimed restaurants. Mango, an American Bistro characterized by a warm, hip dining room and an eclectic menu, garnered three stars from, respectively, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, and the Sun Times, rocketing Chiappetti to the center of Chicago's culinary scene. Grapes, a three-star Mediterranean café, was a funky, neighborhood place with a colorful dining room. Chiappetti later joined forces with the Chicago Symphony to open Rhapsody, a three-star contemporary American bistro for the care and feeding of symphony- goers and Loop diners. Continuing to strike a musical theme, Chiappetti consulted on the Freehling Room, the private donors club at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. In 2003, after a three-year sabbatical from his frenetic pace, Chiappetti opened Café le Coq, a classic French Bistro in Oak Park. Chiappetti and his wife, Leslie, currently own Banana Bakery in Westchester, Illinois, and the Monkey Fudge Factory.

For this talented and tireless chef, the essence of good cooking always has simplicity at its center. "To me, any food worth eating is in some way comfort food!" he says. "At Viand, I'm re-inventing and reinterpreting a lot of classics and favorites. I love to make dishes that are new and familiar at the same time."

Visit www.chiappetti.com for more information.