Stopping by my local Barnes & Nobles, I saw the new issue of Guitar Aficionado magazine with Jeff Bridges on the cover. I was surprised to see was that the magazine also featured an article on celebrity chef —and vintage guitar lover — Rocco DiSpirito.
It’s Gene Simmons’ fault that Rocco started cooking
As a child growing up in Queens in the Seventies, “I was big-time into KISS,” DiSpirito says. “Their album Love Gun came out when I was around 11 years old, and I had to have it. I asked my mom for the money to buy it, and she said to me — he assumes a thick Italian accent — ’You want the money? You go get a job.’”
He laughs. “I didn’t even know I could get a job at that age.” The job he landed, behind the counter of a local pizza spot, changed his life. “I made 50 cents an hour,” he says, “and fell in love with the business. The idea that, just by cutting a slice of pizza, pouring a fountain soda, smiling a little, I could make someone’s day a little better, totally hooked me.” From there, DiSpirito set off on a path that would lead him, at just 16, to the prestigious Culinary Institute of America.
Rocco cooks for Bruce Springsteen
Several years ago, DiSpirito’s attendance at a New York–area Springsteen concert led serendipitously to a reversal of the roles of performer and spectator and the cooking gig of a lifetime. A friend of Rocco’s, who also serves as the musician’s personal chef, asked if he’d help put together the post-show meal. DiSpirito jumped at the opportunity and later that evening found himself ensconced in the kitchen of Springsteen’s New Jersey home, the Boss sitting and observing nearby.
DiSpirito laughs, recalling a scene that was far from his finest cooking moment. “When I’m nervous, I usually do one of two things: spill something or cut my finger open. That night, I did both. I remember Bruce coming over to my side of the kitchen and watching me mop up chicken stock that I spilled all over his floor. It was ridiculous. But,” he adds, “Bruce couldn’t have been more appreciative. And he’s really interested in food. He likes big flavor, and he’s very into healthy cooking, which I love.”
Can’t get enough of Rocco? Check out in Bertolli’s Into the Heart of Italy
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Article excerpt used with permission from Guitar Aficionado. Photograph by Jonathan Pushnik.
