We take a look back at our only interview with the restaurateur, TV personality and chef Michael Chiarello.
Video Content: Michael Chiarello (2026)
In the 2006 interview with host Cindy Rhodes, Michael Chiarello talked about his dreams in becoming a chef and what he thinks about reality cooking TV shows. As part of the press tour, Chiarello invited “Sidewalks” viewers to share their own Kitchen Chronicles as part of a contest with Sargento Cheese at that time.
Mini-Biography:
Born in Red Bluff, California, Michael Chiarello was a Napa Valley vintner, creator of the media company NapaStyle, the host of “Easy Entertaining” on The Food Network and “NapaStyle” on Fine Living Network, and is the author of “At Home with Michael Chiarello” and several other best-selling cookbooks. He appeared as a competitor on “Top Chef Masters” and the fourth season of “The Next Iron Chef.” Additionally, he was the owner of a tapas restaurant named Coqueta and an Italian restaurant named Bottega in Napa Valley and San Francisco, California. Michael Chiarello passed away at age 61 on October 6, 2023.
Interview Credits:
- Recorded: April 2006
- Host / Producer: Cindy Rhodes
- Videographer (for Cindy Rhodes): Ray Alvarado
- Editor: Richard R. Lee
- Special Thanks To: Sargento Cheese, Food Network, First Line Media