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Rocco DiSpirito |
Q. First, how did your show, "The Restaurant," end?
The second season ended with sort of a cliffhanger. My partner and I were trying to figure out what to do next. And what ended up happening is we got into a sort of brutal debate including lawyers and litigation. We settled out of court. Rocco's is no longer in existence, and the restaurant that went in after is no longer in existence. It was sort of an unsatisfying ending. We were supposed to do a third season and develop the rest of the story, but it didn't happen.
Q. Any regrets about doing it?
You know, hindsight is 20/20. There are a couple of things I would have done differently, but mostly, I'm happy with the decisions I've made. I learned a lot.
Q. Did it hurt to hear what some of the employees were saying behind your back?
No, 'cause I knew the mechanics of the show. You know, to create an interesting drama you need lots of controversy. I understand what production had to do in order to get those sound bites, in order to make the show controversial and therefore interesting. It's just reality TV; it's not necessarily real.
Q. During the show you had a girlfriend. Are you still with her? Married?
Is this interview going to be all about the girlfriend and the show?
Q. No, just catching up. So, are you available?
I'm single.
Q. There aren't a lot of thin chefs. Is it a struggle to keep the weight off?
It's a bit of a struggle. Less a struggle for me than I've seen with other people. When I was working out every day, which I did for a long time -- I haven't done it in a while, to be honest with you -- I did a lot of kick-boxing, a lot of aerobics, a lot of jump rope, and that combined with my ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder], high metabolism, high-stress life, helps keep the pounds off [laughing].
Q. Your book "Five Minute Flavor" -- is that just an approximate time, or can a good meal be whipped up in five minutes?
The reason for the book is I learned a couple of years ago that the average American spends five minutes preparing dinner now. I was shocked, but I thought that's not necessarily a bad thing -- let's turn that into an opportunity. I can put a meal together in five minutes. I use a lot of condiments and flavored things. I use chili pastes and pickles and things like that, and I mix them with fresh food. I cherry-pick the best ingredients like pre-cut, diced peppers, sliced mushrooms. You know, there's lots of "helper foods" that I don't think people know how to integrate into their daily dinners. I found about 500 that I think are high quality. To answer your question: They are absolutely tested by home cooks and each one works under five minutes. Now, let's say even seven minutes -- that's still not so bad.
Q. How do you feel about the chef as celebrity?
Well, I think chefs have become an important access point to the good life. I think that's the reason people celebrate them. I don't think chefs are celebrities in the traditional sense of the word. We aren't the Bob Hope, Tom Cruise, Johnny Carson type of celebrity. We're celebrated in culture because we provide a service that has become extraordinarily valuable over the last 20 years to the average person. When food became important, chefs sort of stepped into the limelight. Americans are going to restaurants more than ever and eating out more nights a week. They are growing in sophistication more and more and more, every minute of every day. So it makes sense that Americans celebrate their chefs.
Q. Do you find food preparation and entertaining in the post-holiday months are more intimidating for the average person?
I think cooking at home is always a daunting task, whether it's a real simple, heat-up meal or something elaborate. I think it's scary to open up your heart, your life, your world to others and let them in. What you're doing is allowing them to judge via their taste buds a creation that was handcrafted by you, and that's scary. Very scary. Performance anxiety exists in a few more rooms than the bedroom. Americans are very afraid to entertain at home. It's in the top 10 list of most feared activities along with death and public speaking. On the flip side, I think it's one of the loveliest, most generous things you can do for another human being -- cooking for them.
Correction/Clarification: (Published Jan. 18, 2006) In Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With ... Rocco DiSpirito Monday incorrectly identified the event Mr. DiSpirito attended at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It was GoodTaste! Pittsburgh.
