Michael Chiarello

Career

In 1985, the year after earning his bachelor's degree, Chiarello opened the Grand Bay Hotel in Coconut Grove, Florida, and Toby's Bar and Grill. That same year, Food & Wine Magazine honored him as Chef of the Year. Later in the 1980s, he moved back to his home state of California, settling in Napa Valley. One of his first endeavors there was as chef at The Heritage Restaurant in Turlock, which failed and went bankrupt.

In 1987, he opened Tra Vigne, creating a menu influenced by the cuisine of his family's native Calabria and rife with local seasonal ingredients; he remained at Tra Vigne until 2001. He later served as executive chef at Caffe Museo in San Francisco; Ajax Tavern and Bump's in Aspen, Colorado; and Bistecca Italian Steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the 1990s, Chiarello launched a line of flavored oils named Consorzio. He owned Chiarello Family Vineyards in Yountville, California, and NapaStyle, also in Yountville, which sold exclusive drinkware, serverware, and designer tabletop pieces; NapaStyle closed on January 4, 2016.

Media career

Chiarello's first cooking show, Season by Season, debuted on PBS in 2001. He hosted two more PBS series, Michael Chiarello's Napa and Michael Chiarello's Napa: Casual Cooking, over the next two years. In 2003, he moved to the Food Network to host Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, which won an Emmy. In 2004, his show NapaStyle premiered on the Fine Living Network. In 2009, Chiarello was a contestant on Top Chef Masters, winning his preliminary round and advancing to the championship round, where he placed second to winner Rick Bayless. In 2011, he appeared in the Visit California promotional film aimed at boosting tourism from the UK.