Jimmy Bannos is the chef/partner of the The Purple Pig and the chef/owner of Heaven on Seven, both in Chicago. Jimmy Bannos, Jr., is the chef/partner of The Purple Pig.
Jimmy Bannos
1. One thing you don’t know about me is that I’m loyal to the bone.
2. If I could trade places with one chef it would be Paul Prudhomme because he started the whole Cajun/New Orleans cuisine rage throughout the country in the 1980s.
3. One of my most memorable meals was at my brother’s 40th birthday party at Emeril’s in New Orleans. Emeril brought out his entire staff of 30 to 40 people to sing happy birthday to my brother.
4. If there was no Italian beef, I’d have no reason to live.
5. My go-to drink is a dirty martini. The dirtier the better!
6. If I were on death row my last meal would be my wife’s Sunday neck bone red gravy, a recipe she got from my mother-in-law.
7. My worst culinary creation was crawfish falafel.
8. If I could change one thing about me it would be . . . I don’t want to change anything.
9. My favorite junk food is extra salty Dutch pretzels dipped in blue cheese dressing.
10. If I wasn’t a restaurant operator, I’d love to be a comedian.
Jimmy Bannos Jr.
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1. One thing you don’t know about me is that I love to box as a workout once a week.
2. If I could trade places with one chef it would be Lidia Bastianich. She has the coolest life ever. I admire her for all she has done for Italian cuisine in America.
3. One of my most memorable meals was at Lupa in New York City. I was an 18-year-old freshman at Johnson and Wales. After that I knew I needed to work for Mario Batali some day.
4. If there were no feta cheese, I’d have no reason to live. I literally eat an ounce of it every day.
5. My go-to drink is Averna with soda and lots of ice and lemon.
6. If I were on death row my last meal would be a pound-and-a-half lobster with a huge side of red wine-poached foie gras and bread. For dessert, I’d eat a giant piece of chocolate cake.
7. My worst culinary creation was our pork pate. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever put in my mouth. It’s clearly been fixed, but it was not good then.
8. If I could change one thing about me it would be to stop worrying so much.
9. My favorite junk food is original nacho cheese Doritos.
10. If I wasn’t a restaurant operator, I’d love to be a coach. I love the idea of leading a team.
