Chris Bianco Net Worth & Wife ·

17 Jun 2024, 00:00

What is Chris Bianco’s net worth? Who is Chris Bianco’s wife?

Introduction

Regarding TV personalities in America, some of the most well-known people are television chefs.

TV chefs are a big part of the US TV world, as people love to watch shows that inspire them to cook.

From tips and tricks delivered by the pros to new dishes to try out from faraway lands, there is a great interest in cooking shows on American television.

This gives many people the chance to become big names within American culture, and one person who matches this is Chris Bianco.

Who is Chris Bianco?

Let’s take a look at this personal life and his career that has made him one of America’s most beloved cooking personalities.

The Origin Story

Chris Bianco prepares a pizza at Jimmy Kimmel’s post-show after-party for Hollywood’s biggest night at The Lot on March 4, 2018 – @Getty

Born in the 1960s (date unknown), Bianco was born in The Bronx but moved to Ossining, NY, as a child.

Growing up, he suffered from a serious bout of asthma, which meant he often had to stay inside due to the conditions.

This meant that while he spent his time indoors and other kids played, he watched Auntie cook and bake.

Naturally, this would set him off on a career that is all about cooking.

Our early inspirations and interests in life can have a major impact on what we want to do later on in our lives. In the 1970s, a young Bianco was passionate about cooking, and at age 13, he got a job working at a pizzeria near his house.

This gave him his first taste of properly working within the culinary industry, and he was hooked. This eventually causes Bianco to leave high school and go about making his way into the culinary world.

While he is a NY native, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1985, after winning a competition that gave him a chance to win two tickets to anywhere in the USA.

Chris Bianco attends Netflix’s Chef’s Table: Pizza LA Reception at Pizzeria Bianco on September 07, 2022 in Los Angeles – @Getty

He decided to go to Phoenix and immediately felt like he was in the right place for him.

He set up his first restaurant in the area, Pizzeria Bianco, in 1993, and since then, it has become one of his most prominent restaurants.

In fact, to this day, it is still open and remains one of Bianco’s most important restaurants.

Is Chris Bianco married?

Yes, Chris Bianco is happily married to his wife, Mia Bianco. He married Mia in 2013, and they have been happily ever since. It appears that Chris Bianco and his wife, Mia Bianco, have an age difference of approximately 20 years. Despite this age gap, their love and support for each other remain unwavering.

Chris Bianco is in his early 60s, while Mia Bianco is believed to be in her early 40s.

This marriage has also seen Chris become a father, with his children – Leo, Eva, and Lena – all born.

All three are also involved in the restaurant industry, and Mia helps raise the children.

His youngest child, Eva, was born in 2017, while his eldest was born in 2014.

So, it looks like he will have a pretty happy dynasty of young children to take over the family business when Chris retires!

The Bianco name is now almost synonymous with the Phoenix pizzeria scene, and it would be no surprise to see his kids take up the mantle of running the Pizzeria Bianco range of restaurants in the future.

How Did He Get Famous?

Chef Chris Bianco attends ‘Big Top’ during the Hot Luck Live Food & Music Festival at Fair Market on May 25, 2023 in Austin – @Getty

While he would become famous for his culinary skills and his pizzeria restaurants, his initial success came from being intelligent.

He owned an apartment, and, living out of that apartment, he would make mozzarella cheese.

Bianco would then sell this cheese to various Italian-themed restaurants nearby, giving him his first chance to start making pizzas. He made his pizza for a place called Guy Coscos.

From there, he began to have a lot of success and met his future business partner, Susan Pool.

Jimmy Kimmel and Chef Chris Bianco at his World Class After Party at The Lot on September 18, 2016 in West Hollywood – @Getty

They opened the aftermentioned Pizzeria Bianco in 1993, and the success they enjoyed from there has been massive.

He has made a name for himself in TV chef work, including a 2022 documentary on Netflix called Chef’s Table: Pizza. This helped to further his name and his fame to the world.

This success has seen him win various awards, including the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restauranteur Award in 2022.

This is seen as one of the most important awards that someone in the US culinary world can win, so it was a huge vindication for Bianco and all the work he has put into his stellar culinary career.

Health Issues

Chris Bianco participates in ‘Al Fuego’ at Wild Onion Ranch during Hot Luck Festival on May 25, 2019 in Austin – @Getty

However, as mentioned above, Bianco suffered quite badly from asthma when growing up.

The asthma never went away, of course, and this meant that in 2010, he suffered a major health scare.

He was put into the hospital after a significant asthma attack that also included pneumonia.

It was eventually discovered that being surrounded by so much flour over the years, as well as the smoke from the pizza ovens, was a contributing factor to his asthma flair-up.

This eventually saw the Pizzeria Bianco restaurants move away from being a pizza-only franchise and instead focused on making pasta dishes (sometimes instead).

This has seen many of his establishments change their menu significantly, with most of his restaurants in Phoenix now serving either pizza and pasta or pasta only.

Unlike many big-name chefs, Bianco is still involved in running and cooking his restaurants.

As such, they must be in a condition that allows them to work without risking their health and well-being. However, he has also used his need to step back from cooking to get involved in other ventures, such as his Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes and organic tomato products made in combination with Rob DiNapoli, one of his long-time collaborators.

Chris Bianco attends the 2023 James Beard Restaurant And Chef Awards at Lyric Opera Of Chicago – @Getty