Nick Stellino grew up in Palermo, on the island of Sicily, and came to the United States in 1975. In 1991, he decided to leave his lucrative career as a Wall Street stockbroker in order to follow his dream of becoming a chef. He started his culinary career as a dishwasher. Over time, he apprenticed with the best chefs in America. "I was in heaven working at working my way through the restaurant line," says Nick Stellino. "But I wanted to share my enthusiasm for Italian cooking with more people. I decided a cooking show was the answer." Employing the energy, dedication and entrepreneurial vision that had taken him from Palermo to Wall Street, Nick began calling television production companies. His efforts culminated in 1994 with the highly successful series Cucina Amore I. He followed up withCucina Amore II, and III, then Nick Stellino's Family Kitchen I, II, III, IV and V, and the PBS specials, Nick Stellino's Dinner Party and Nick Stellino: Food, Love & Family. His new Public Television series: "Nick Stellino Cooking with Friends" and the companion cookbook, are featured exclusively on Public Television and on his website: www.nickstellino.com. On his new Public Television series Nick is joining forces with 10 of the country's best chefs:
- Chef Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
- Chef Laurent Manrique, AQUA, San Francisco
- Chef Kent Rathbun, Abacus , Dallas
- Chef Patricia Williams, District, New York
- Chef Michael Hillyer, Capital Grille Seattle
- Chef Heather Therune, Atwood Café, Chicago
- Chef Elise Wiggings, Panzano, Denver
- Chef Neal Fraser, Grace Restaurant, Los Angeles
- Chef Danny Bortnick, Firefly, Washington DC
- Chef Walter Pisano , Tulio, Seattle
In addition to running his Marketing and Production Company (Stellino Productions Inc.), Nick is a sought-after motivational speaker with a prestigious list of national clients, including: Domino Sugar, Maurice Lacroix, Sears, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, BJ's Wholesale Club and The Kimpton Hotels. see:
premierespeakers.com/nick_stellino. Nick has published eight cookbooks and has partnered with major publishing companies including Putnam and Doubleday. Nick makes numerous appearances at popular food festivals around the United States, including Boston Cooks, Philadelphia's The Book and The Cook, Seattle's Festa Italiana and the Aspen Food & Wine Festival. He was Grand Marshal of San Francisco's 1999 Columbus Day Parade, the first time in 130 years that a chef had been accorded that honor. In May 2000 and 2001, Nick Stellino appeared as a presenter at the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards held in New York. He is also one of the few chefs who have been selected to cook at the Grand Gala Dinner for the James Beard Awards for three years in a row. After 8 cookbooks and 15 years on National Television his shows are watched by millions of people all over the world: Canada, all of South America and South Africa. Yet, Nick believes that is greatest accomplishment is to have been married to his lovely wife Nanci for 26 years. "A family that eats together stays together!"
