Cipriani's Venice – the name brings to mind the famous Harry's Bar started by Giuseppe Cipriani, and the Cipriani restaurants in Venice, New York, and London.

Behind these great restaurants is a great chef – Renato Piccolotto. Born in the province of Treviso, Italy, Renato got his start at 17 working for Guiseppe Cipriani in Asolo. He joined the kitchen at the Cipriani Venice in 1970. His 40 years of experience at Cipriani, including 20 years of spectacular dishes as executive chef makes him one of the top chefs worldwide.

In February 2010 Chef Piccolotto kindly came into Venice so that my friend Donna Jackson and I could interview him. He shared some great advice with us – advice intended for those who would like to become true top chefs. Don't miss this video! - Barry

To return to my main blog page, Click Here

Have you ever gone out for seafood and been disappointed in the lack of freshness? Taste the difference as we find a way to get the freshest fish, straight from the water to our plate.

I prefer to eat seafood at Dalla Marisa in Venice, along Rio Cannaregio. But in this episode, I catch my own. Join me in search of the rare Filetto Fish. This headless, scaleless delicacy can be eaten straight out of the water (after you remove the hook). Grab your fishing tackle and watch the video above.

In this episode I attempt to make a gourmet breakfast out of fast food French Toast Bricks. Inspired by celebrated Italian chef Fabrizio Schenardi of Piemonte's French Toast, this meal is created out of simple ingredients everyone carries with them to a fast food restaurant. Well, I do, anyway!

So enjoy by clicking on the video above. Then leave me a comment here on my blog - What fast food chain should I visit next? Thanks! - Barry

For a real french toast recipe invented by a real chef, Click Here

To return to my main blog page, Click Here

In this episode I attempt to make a gourmet dessert out of a fast food piece of pie. While it is nothing like Dolce Debbie's Ricotta Pear Torta, it is certainly better than the "out of the box" pie. (I had to eat three pieces to get this video right!) This was the episode where we introduced music to the video.

So enjoy the video, then leave me a comment - What fast food chain should I visit next? Thanks! - Barry