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MANILA, Philippines - Who is the New York celebrity chef who has nine award-winning books including the Now Eat This! and Now Eat This! Diet, which features healthy makeovers of America’s favorite comfort food?

He was born on Nov. 19, 1966 in Jamaica, Queens and started his culinary career at the age of 11 in his mother’s kitchen.  His mother Nicolina was a superb home cook and he learned many traditional Italian recipes from her.

At 16, he began his studies at the Culinary Institute of America where he graduated with honors in 1986.  He then studied French regional food and wine for two years at the Jardin de Cygne restaurant in Paris with Dominique Cecillon and Gary Kunz.

He then attended Boston University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1990.  Moving back to New York, he worked at Kunz’ four-star French restaurant Lespinasse, and went on to open his own restaurant Union Pacific in 1997.

Receiving stellar reviews for his innovative cuisine, he took the New York food scene by storm.  He was named “Best New Chef”  by Food and Wine Magazine in 1999.  He was also named “America’s Most Exciting Young Chef” by Gourmet Magazine in the same year.

He launched his TV career by appearing on the Food Network program, The Melting Pot in 2000 and later the reality show The Restaurant. 

He is also known for his bestselling cookbooks:  Flavor, Italian-American, Five Minute Flavor:  Fabulous Meals with 5 Ingredients in 5 Minutes, Real Life Recipes:  Fast Flavor for Every Day, and Cook at Home.  In 2004, his book Cooking from a Professional Point of View won the James Beard Award as “Best Cookbook.”

Unlike other cookbook authors, his books touch on very real recipes and celebrate healthy living:  Now Eat This!  150 of America’s Favorite Comfort Foods in 2010; Now Eat This! Diet to Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 2 Weeks Eating 6 Meals a Day (2011); and Now Eat This! Italian Dishes from the Real Mamas of Italy — All Under 350 Calories (2012).

Now Eat This! And Now It This! Diet  features healthy makeovers of some of America’s favorite comfort foods — from fried chicken to apple pie, all with zero bad carbs, zero  bad fat, and maximum flavor.

On a mission to change people’s perception of healthy food by making delicious low fat, low calorie dishes accessible, he has a syndicted TV show Now Eat This where he challenges, guides, and guides a family and their children to make healthier lifestyle choices.

He personally visits schools during “Free Lunch Fridays” to educate students on the benefits of eating healthy foods.

In addition to his food, he attracted a lot of attention for his good looks and was named “Sexiest Chef” by People Magazine in 2003.

Last week’s question: Where is this British town hall located?

Answer: Leeds, Britain

Winner: Jennifer Rockymore of Bulacan

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