Chef Giovanni of Hell's Kitchen Says "I'm Not A Showbiz Person"

By Jacob Katel Mon., Feb. 9 2009 at 9:33 AM

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I spoke to Hell's Kitchen 5 contestant Chef Giovanni about the Redneck Riviera, gambling, and respect. Giovanni is a cool Jersey dude that keeps it real and is all about his work. He is the executive chef at Creehan's Copper Grill in Destin, Florida. Destin is up by Pensacola so it's more Alabama than it is tri-county south, but people are pretty much the same everywhere you go. We eat, we drink, we work and we live.

Here is a bit of Giovanni's wisdom:

"I'm from Bayonne, New Jersey. I went down to Destin to do my externship because I'd never heard of it. It's a beautiful place with white sandy beaches. They call it the Redneck Riviera. What's not to love?"

New Times: People are saying you choked on episode one where they had you as a waiter.

Chef Giovanni: Let them try an do what I did. Your brain freezes; it's nerve wracking. It was my first day in a brand new kitchen, you try and learn everything and study. You show me a chef that can walk in a place he never worked in -- a brand new restaurant you get a mock run so you could get a flow of things. I'm no server. Everybody got your opinions. When you're thrown into something like that, it's not the easiest thing to do.

NT: What you think about people in Vegas betting on you and the show?

CG: Let them bet. I don't know nothing about that. I wouldn't know what odds.

NT: How you feel about your competition now that the show's over?

CG: I get along with them. I have no problems with anybody. That was then. I got respect for Danny. I did this just to see if I could get on there. I'm not a showbiz person. After this, if I win or lose, I go back to the restaurant business and do what I know how to do, run a kitchen and cook food.

Click Here To Watch Hell's Kitchen 5 through FOX on the nerd wide web

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