DC: Do you have any siblings?
FV: I’m the only child, because my family couldn’t afford to have any more kids. Literally, they could barely feed me.
DC: How has that part of your life had an impact on what you’re currently doing?
FV: I have a lot of drive. I have more drive in my bones than what most people have in their house. I grew up with food stamps and didn’t have a bed until I was nine years old. For me growing up underprivileged was a blessing, because I could appreciate the little things that I had. I grew up in a family that everyone was like; alright we don’t have money but it is what is. I hated it though, because I wanted the Air Jordan’s like every kid I knew in town. I wanted the Reebok Pump shoe that was popular at the time, but the cost of that shoe was my family’s food budget for the entire month. When I was working as a kid, half of the money went to my house and helping my mom. With the other half, I was able to buy my own stuff like a scooter. I was a reckless kid at first, but then eventually turned into a good person.
DC: The culture in Italy is totally different than American culture. How have you adjusted to the culture here?
FV: It’s a big shock. It’s a big shock in a lot of different ways such as, the way you eat or the way you have relationships. America is all about business. There is very little time for relationships. There is very little time for anything. In Italy, there is a lot of time for relationships and little time for anything else. In Italy people don’t give a crap about business. You get up, have coffee and go to work. You then take a two hour lunch break and go back to work at three in the afternoon and leave again at seven o’clock in the evening. Most people don’t work on Saturday and Sunday, so nobody’s really working as hard. Italy is for Europe as what Florida is to America. Everybody is chilled. Everybody is relaxed. I came from a culture where we care about everything but making it happen. Here, you guys don’t care about much except making it all happen. The American dream is based on the exact opposite of what Italy is. It’s not the dolce vita. It’s not the chilling and making it through the day with a pizza and a glass of wine. It’s about buying the wine company and making the pizza dough.
DC: Sounds like your drive fits into American culture though. Is that fair to say?
FV: Yes, because I was one of those kids that didn’t want to fit into that system. While my dad was seeing the glass as half empty I was trying to sell the glass. I have a different mentality, because no one in my family has ever been an entrepreneur. I’ve seen the struggles that my family went through and realized that I didn’t want to go through those struggles when I had my own family. I do well alone just as much as I do well surrounded by people, so I didn’t care about working long and hard not having fun.
DC: Because of your history of working hard, I assume you weren’t surprised by the success you’ve had in the U.S.
FV: It’s a blessing, but I’ve worked for it. People say that you’ve been very lucky, but you know the more I work the luckier I get. Luck is not really a scenario, but sometimes you have the find the right path. You can be climbing the right ladder, but if the ladder is on the wrong wall then you’re not going anywhere. I’ve been very good at finding the right wall for me but I’m the one still taking the steps to climb those stairs. The right wall for me is the one that can build a legacy. I grew up on food stamps so money clearly doesn’t drive me. Of course all of the toys are fun and I’d rather have money than not, because money can help in so many ways, especially sharing. But the reality is that money is not the goal. Legacy is the goal. Success only comes before work in the dictionary, meaning that legacy is more important than currency. Building something that lasts for my family and my children that will be there long after I’m gone is more important to me. That includes just having a good business, working hard and being a good person. I found that haters are going to hate. Some people will blame anything and everybody for their problems except themselves. I just work my butt off every day and try to make it happen. The American Dream is there. You just have to go and get it.
DC: There are a ton of really good Chefs out there. What truly makes you a better Chef than any other?