Jeff Mauro is as colorful as the rainbow colored jars of giardiniera he sells through his food distributor Mauro Provisions. The Food Network star has a built a life spinning plates in many disciplines including theatre, comedy, television, restaurants, and even rock and roll as the frontman of the local Chicago band The Jewel Bags.
I like Jeff because he’s built a life that blends both work and pleasure. If he’s got an idea or a desire, he works to make that happen. Whether it’s slinging content in his sandwich kingdom rating the best stuff served between two pieces of bread or writing a screenplay about Chicago food and family, he just never stops never stoppin’.
Jeff could have stayed in LA or moved to New York, but in between Food Network shoots, he prefers to return to River Forest, always staying within a few miles of his beloved Johnnie’s Beef, which he says (and I agree) has the best combo beef in Chicagoland.
I caught up with Mauro to talk about his search for his lost Chicago sports jerseys that once hung on the wall at his now defunct restaurant Pork and Mindy’s, what it’s like to do stand-up, the viability of making wagyu italian beef, and what it’s like to party like a food star with Guy Fieri and Robert Irvine. Enjoy the interview!
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