Chris Bianco

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]

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

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]

References
  1. 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. 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. "Who's Who: Chris Bianco". www.pizzamarketplace.com. 2003-06-24. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  7. 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  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.
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