By the time he was 16, culinary prodigy Fabio Trabochi was working in the kitchen of a three-star Michelin restaurant. A native of Italy's Le Marche region, he has headed restaurants in Moscow; Marbella, Spain; London; Washington, D.C.; and New York City.
Trabocchi has earned accolades such as Food & Wine's Best New Chef in 2002 and the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2006. In his latest post at New York City's Fiamma, Trabocchi has received rave reviews from the New York Daily News, the Washington Post, and New York magazine.
Q: Do you cook with your children?
A: I cook with them every Sunday. Depending on what we feel like, we go to grocery stores or to the farmers' market. They come in the car, we do the shopping, they get excited about the ingredients, and when we get home, everyone is part of the meal.
Q: How do you deal with picky eating?
A. As a parent, you shouldn't give up and go for the easy fix. You lose the chance to educate your kid. When cooking for your kids ... you don't want to go with things that are too strong. Salt has to be moderate, spices have to be moderate—normally what is more straightforward is probably what they like best. That helps build up the palate and bring them to the next level gradually.
Q: What's the most memorable meal you've eaten?
A: At Le Calandre restaurant in Rubano, Italy.
Q: What was your biggest cooking disaster?
A: My attempt to make a pie when I was 7 years old.
Q: Guilty food pleasure?
A: By far, it's ice cream.
Q: What do you cook at home with the kids?
A: We cook and eat as a family, so we all share the same meal and everyone helps out. We enjoy making pasta, meat, fish, and vegetables—whatever is in season, because that is what tastes the best.
Q: What inspired you to become a chef?
A: I love cooking and the creativity that comes along with it—it's the creativity that keeps me inspired every day.
Q: Best cooking tip?
A: Stick to the basics and use good ingredients, and do it well.
Q: Favorite kitchen tool?
A: Surgical tongs.
Q: If you haven't shopped in a week and need to prepare a quick family meal, what do you make?
A: A traditional Spanish tortilla.
Q: What's the ratio of home-cooked to takeout food in your house?
A: We cook all our meals at our home.
