THE Dish: Chef Fabio Viviani's fried veal cutlets

(CBS News) Chef Fabio Viviani was once best known as winning "fan favorite" on season five of Bravo's "Top Chef Series but he's come a long way since his reality television appearance. He has become an award-winning restaurant owner, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, motivational speaker and hosts the internet's number one lifestyle and food show, the award winning "Chow Ciao" on Yahoo.

Special Section: Food and Wine

Italian chef Fabio Viviani was born in Florence, Italy. At the young age of 11, he needed to help out the family and get job. He applied to work in a bakery where at first he was told he was too young and then later invited to work nights so that no one would know.

In 1992, when Viviani was 14, he began working at the very busy Il Pallaio, a casual trattoria in Firenze, Italy. An average night in the restaurant proved to be total mayhem, as 700 to 800 guests came through each night. Fabio thrived in this high pressure environment and managed to become sous chef by age 16, thanks to the mentoring of Simone Mugnaini, an iconic figure in the Italian restaurant scene.

Between training in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine at Ipssar Saffi, working with culinary luminaries such as Simone Mugnaini, Alessandro Panzani and Saverio Carmagini, Viviani was owning and operating five restaurants in Florence, a farmhouse and two nightclubs by the age of 27.

He then moved to Ventura County, California at the age of 27 and now works as the owner and executive chef of Cafe Firenze, a renowned Italian restaurant in Ventura Country and Osteria Firenze, a popular Los Angeles Italian Eatery. His newest Chicago, Illinois restaurant, Siena Tavern, opened in February 2013.

Fried Veal Cutlets

6 veal cutlets, 4 oz. each (skinless, boneless chicken breasts can also be used)

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups flour

3 large eggs, beaten

2 tbsp. water

2 cups panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

6 tbsp. olive oil

1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges, for garnish

1. Place the meat between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound it with the pitted side of a meat mallet until it is about 1?2-inch thick. Season each cutlet generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Place the flour in a low open container. Beat the eggs with the water and put them in a similar open container.

3. Then mix the bread¬crumbs and the Parmesan and place them in a third container.

4. Coat both sides of each cutlet in flour, then egg, and finally bread¬crumbs. (While dredging in the crumbs, feel free to press a bit with the palm of your hand in order to make the crumbs stick better to the meat.) Set aside.

5. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat and cook each cutlet for 2-3 minutes per side or until the outside is golden brown.

6. As the cutlets are cooked, place them on a paper towel to absorb the oil.

7. Season again if necessary and serve with lemon slices.

Broken Potatoes with Burnt Lemon And Parmesan

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 lb. baby potatoes, boiled in water for 5 minutes then shocked in ice water and patted dry

1/2 cup fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 good pinch of salt

Lots of pepper

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

A handful of chives, chopped

4 halves Roasted Lemons

1. Put the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

2. With the palm of your hands, crush the potatoes enough for the skins to burst but not enough to make them fall apart. Put the potatoes into the oil and cook until crisp on one side.

3. Add the rosemary and the garlic and turn the potatoes over to crisp the other side. Total cooking time for crisping both sides will be about 15 minutes. Remember: The skin needs to be crisp but not burnt.

4. Once crisped, put the potatoes in a bowl and toss them with the rest of the ingredients except the lemons.

5. To serve, put the potatoes on a platter and squeeze the lemon

Roasted Lemons

10 lemons, cut in half lengthwise

2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

Butter or olive oil for roast¬ing (if using a pan rather than a grill)

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Place the lemons open-face down on a really hot grill or in a hot sauté pan with a touch of olive oil or butter over medium to high heat.

2. Grill for about 10 minutes, moving the lemons around, until the open side is caramelized.

Eggplant Caponata

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1 large yellow onion, diced small

1 1/2 cups olive oil

5 cloves garlic, crushed (not minced)

3 large eggplants, half the skin removed in strips with a vegetable peeler, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 cup capers in water, drained

11/2 cups pitted green olives, sliced

1 cup pine nuts

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 cups Fabio's Tomato Sauce (see recipe on page 18) mixed with 2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 bunch basil, leaves only

Salt and pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

Mint leaves for garnish

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine the celery, carrots, and onion with the olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are nicely cara¬melized, then add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.

2. Next add the eggplant, tossing and stirring the chunks as they heat up to help them absorb all the oil. Once they've released a bit of water, turn the heat to high and keep stirring. After about 10 minutes, the eggplant will start to get softer and will be reduced in size. Then add the capers, olives, and pine nuts, and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add the brown sugar and the vinegar, and as soon as the vinegar has reduced add the tomato sauce mixed with the tomato paste. Cook for another 10 minutes and add the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the tomato sauce is com-pletely reduced and there is no trace of water left.

4. Remove from heat and let rest for about 30 minutes. Serve with lemon zest and mint on top.

Fabio's Mom's Tiramisu

1 pot strong coffee (about 3 cups), chilled

12 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 lb. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

30-35 ladyfinger cookies

1 chunk dark chocolate, large enough for grating

1. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Either fold in the mascarpone or use the electric mixer on low to mix it in. Place the mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes, until it is set.

2. Meanwhile, pour the cold coffee into a mixing bowl and add the vanilla extract. When the mascarpone mixture is ready, spread it in a thin layer on the bottom of a 6 x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Dip the ladyfingers one by one very quickly into the coffee, then lay them onto the mascarpone mixture. Repeat until the mascarpone is covered. With a cheese grater, shave some of the chocolate on top of the ladyfingers. Repeat the layers, starting again with the mascarpone, until the dish is full. The top layer should be mascarpone with choco¬late grated over it.

4. Serve immediately or keep chilled in the fridge for later.

"No 1 cocktail" (most often referred to as their signature Lemoncello)

*Courtesy of mixologist Revae Schneider of Femme du Coupe/Fabio's restaurant Siena Tavern

2.0oz Absolut Vodka

.75oz Le Sirop Ginger Zest

.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.75oz King's Ginger Liqueur

1 Dropper Sage Tincture

1. Shaken and served up in a coupe glass

2. Garnished with Sage Leaf