Chef Vinny Accardi
Executive Chef, Vertuccio’s
As Seen on
Hell’s Kitchen is lit up this season with fiery Italian contestant, Vinny Accardi. The native New Yorker and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America credits his diverse Queens neighborhood, rich with ethnic and exotic foods as his inspiration for becoming a chef. Comparing his early love of food with other children’s affection for sports, Vinny has said, “Similar to how most kids would watch a baseball game and want to play third base, I would taste great food and want to learn how to make it”.
His culinary career began with an internship at a trendy West Village restaurant and then continued at CIA, where he earned his degree. Upon graduation in May 2000 he traveled through Europe for six months, eventually settling in Germany as a cook at the World’s Fair. He later returned to New York and secured a string of great gigs cooking at high profile New York restaurants Osteria del Circo, Union Pacific and Oceana. He was hired for the first time as Executive Chef at popular French bistro, Rouge, in Forest Hills in 2004. Following his stint with French cuisine, he decided to explore the culinary world outside of New York and moved to Las Vegas. He took a job at noted Italian restaurant, Ferraro’s. While working at Ferraro’s in Las Vegas he tried out for Hell’s Kitchen for the second time and landed the gig on the spot.
Vinny’s cooking philosophy was greatly influenced during his post grad trip to Europe, where he discovered his love for local rich ingredients. His time spent on Hell’s Kitchen reinforced this idea. He cooks simple and clean dishes, choosing to let his ingredients speak for themselves and not overwhelm his plates with too many garnishes or complex sauces. According to Vinny, Chef Ramsay, whom he considers one of the top ten chefs of all time, reminded him that, “Its not about putting together thirty ingredients on a plate, but a few great ones that are done perfectly and work well together”.
Currently, Vinny can be found in Williamsburg, Brooklyn working as Executive Chef at Vertuccio’s. He has recently taken over and rebranded the once classic Italian restaurant to reflect his love of modern Italian cuisine. When asked what his favorite thing about his job is, he simply states, “The greatest joy in cooking is the unknown, I love putting different things together and making something out of nothing.”
For recipes, tips and more on Chef Vinny, follow him on
Twitter @VinnyHK or become a fan on Facebook!
