Gabriele Corcos left medical school to chase the dream of being a musician. He travelled to Brazil, Cuba and Morocco to play drums. Ended up in California becoming a celebrity chef and television personality. Opened a restaurant in New York. Married a well known actress. And now, he has packed up his Brooklyn home to return with his wife and two daughters to the the Tuscan village he grew up in near Florence to become a hotelier. Think Renaissance man.
In this 2 part series, host David Kepron talks with Gabriele Corcos about the path back to his home town, what his career has taught him and the future of the food and hospitality industries.
Italian celebrity chef, entrepreneur, TV personality
Creator and cohost of “Extra Virgin” on the Cooking Channel
New York Times best-selling book “Extra Virgin”
Raised in Tuscany outside of Florence Italy
Studied medicine at the Italian military academy for several years
Passion was music and decided to study drums so he left the military and travels to Brazil, Cuba and Morocco to study drums
Restaurant:
Owned the “Tuscan Gun Officine Alimentari” in Brooklyn
Met Debi Mazar in Florence – moved to LA – married in 2002
Starred with wife Debi Mazar in “Extra-Virgin Americana” on the Cooking Channel
They were asked to be hosts of the Cooking Channel’s first original cooking show
In 2019 Corcos was honored “Knight” by the Italian President of the Republic for work on behalf of Italian heritage in the US (this is the highest civilian honor for an Italian citizen)
Charity work:
While competing on the television show chopped he competed on behalf of the charity “Feeding America”
In 2014 he became a council member at the food bank for New York City
Extra Virgin Americana TV Show:
Premiered 2011 and had 5 seasons until 2015
Extra Virgin Book:
Released in 2014
Amazon’s #1 In Italian cooking ratings for 6 months and remained in top 10 until October 2015
June 2014 Makes NY Time best-sellers list
Crazy huge collection of knive, rides a Duccati and loves the power of technology
SHOW INTRO:
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When I think “Renaissance man” I have images in my head of sculptors, painters, physicians, inventors… people like Leonardo, Brunelleschi and Michelangelo – all worked in Florence about 20 km away from my guest’s hometown.
I don’t often think of James Beard award winning celebrity chef and restaunteur, a multi book New York Times best-selling list author, An Italian Military Academy student who decided that studying medicine wasn’t for him and went off to Morocco, Brazil and Cuba to study drums, who also loves to ride Duccati’s, has some pretty serious leaves (as in tattoos), was also Knighted in 2019 and who you can now see often on Instagram doing ‘lives’ with his wife Debi Mazar cooking up a festival of food from the kitchen of their Brooklyn home.
That said, I do think about somebody who is on a continual search for the NXTLVL and not afraid of being reborn – in the true sense of the word “Renaissance.” Someone like Gabriele Corcos who seems to be in a continual search for filling his life with the adventure of the unknown.
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