Gabe Bertaccini Launches New Series 'Cook Like an Italian'
No Italian grandmother? No problem. Chef Gabe's new YouTube series teaches you how to cook like a nonna — starting with classic spaghetti carbonara.
Tuscan-born chef Gabriele Bertaccini has been on dozens of shows on Food Network as a competitor (24 in 24), host (Worst Cooks in America) and judge (Ciao House). The newest notch in his proverbial Italian leather belt is a brand-new cooking show on Food Network's YouTube, Cook Like an Italian With Gabe Bertaccini, which he says is all about cooking “with your heart … not so much by the book.”
In a recent interview on the Food Network Obsessed podcast, Gabe revealed that the original title of the show was Hot Italian, but they ran into copyright issues. “There were a lot of hot Italians out there,” Gabe jokes. Luckily, Cook Like an Italian is still a fitting name, as Gabe is passionate about showing people what simple but good Italian food looks like. “Really, this is the first time I am able to talk about recipes and talk about food the way I love talking about food,” he says.
Listen to the Episode
Gabe Bertaccini dives into what it's like judging Chopped Castaways, plus shares how Cook Like an Italian became a way to make Italian cooking feel approachable, relaxed and rooted in joy rather than perfection.
In this intimate series filmed right in his home kitchen with his three beloved dogs underfoot, you can expect to see Gabe cooking solo, but he will also invite friends over to enjoy the food he prepares. “I’m a host and I want to cook for people who come over to my house … that’s how I show love and care,” he explains. There will also be an episode devoted to date night. “I’m 40 and single like a Pringle … but I love love and I am very romantic and so I said, ‘Let’s do an episode about two people’ … and we call that episode ‘Dinner for Two.’”
For the premiere episode, Gabe starts with one of his favorite dishes, spaghetti carbonara, which he calls a “classic Roman pasta.” With his dog stationed nearby in the hopes of catching any fallen ingredients, he is literally right at home as he walks viewers through the simple but delicious recipe. A natural teacher, Gabe explains his methods as he goes, showing viewers tips such as what temperature pans should be heated to, how to temper eggs (apparently, you calmly talk to them) and demystifying anchovies. “My goal is to make every American love anchovies,” he says.
Anders Krusberg
Gabe's dog, Miele, politely asks for a sample of spaghetti carbonara.
Gabe cooks everything in real time. There’s no premade dishes on hand to swap, standing by his sentiment that simple food can still be delicious and impressive. Case in point, he makes both the pasta and accompanying kale Caesar salad from scratch in under 15 minutes.
With new episodes dropping every Saturday night at 7 p.m., be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing. Buona sera!
All About Gabriele Bertaccini
Learn more about the Italian chef and Food Network star — his upbringing, culinary career, transition to television and more.
Interview: Chef Gabe Bertaccini on the Magic of Cooking 15 Photos
Chef Gabe shares how it feels to mentor beginner cooks, what he wishes Americans understood about entertaining and what flavor of gelato is the benchmark for all other flavors.
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