Stephen Asprinio
{{Short description|American chef and restaurateur}}
{{multiple issues|
{{BLP sources|date=December 2013}}
{{BLP primary sources|date=December 2013}}
}}
{{Infobox chef
| image =
| name = Stephen Asprinio
| caption = Stephen Asprinio
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Palm Beach County, Florida, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| style =
| education =
| restaurants =
| television = {{plainlist|
}}
}}
Stephen Asprinio (born in Palm Beach County, Florida) is an American restaurateur, sommelier, chef, and former Top Chef contestant.{{cite web|url=http://www.stephenasprinio.com/ |title=Stephen Asprinio :: Official Website |publisher=stephenasprinio.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/bio/stephen-asprinio |title=Stephen Asprinio - Top Chef Season 1 - Bio - Bravo TV Official Site |publisher=bravotv.com|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120703154415/http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/bio/stephen-asprinio|archivedate=2012-07-03 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-8/bio/stephen-asprinio |title=Stephen Asprinio - Top Chef Season 8 - Bio - Bravo TV Official Site |publisher=bravotv.com|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20121102063604/http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-8/bio/stephen-asprinio|archivedate = 2012-11-02}}
Biography
Asprinio studied at the Culinary Institute of America. He continued his education after culinary school and earned his bachelor's degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He also studied and trained at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard.
Asprinio appeared on reality TV show Top Chef on Bravo during its first season and was one of the final five contestants when he was eliminated from the competition. Asprinio also competed as a contestant on Top Chef: All Stars in 2010, but he was eliminated in the third episode. Asprinio is best known as the "villain" of Top Chef's first season; ABC named him one of "Reality TV's Top 15 Meanest Villains."{{cite web|title=The 15 Meanest Reality TV Villains|url=http://abc13.com/archive/6101224/|website=ABC|accessdate=17 June 2014}} One of the starkest examples of this "villain" behaviour was Asprinio's ongoing verbal treatment of another contestant, Candice Kumai, whom he allegedly called "trash."{{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=Andy|title=Most Talkative: Stories form the Front Lines of Pop Culture|date=2012|publisher=MacMillan|isbn=9780805095845|page=unpaginated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2z4RonWt_YC&q=%22stephen+asprinio%22+asshole|accessdate=17 June 2014}}
At the age of 26, Stephen Asprinio opened his first and namesake restaurant, Forté di Asprinio in South Florida, which was named "One of the Top 10 Best New Restaurants in the United States" by the Gayot Restaurant Guide. However, he left soon after its opening; the restaurant changed course and dropped “di Asprinio” from the name.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tasteforcooking.com/food-in-the-news/forte-di-asprinio/|title=Forte di Asprinio|date=3 August 2009}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/fall-of-the-house-of-forte-6568675|title=Fall of the House of Forte|last=Shepherd|first=Gail|date=2008-12-03|website=Miami New Times|access-date=2019-03-06}}
Asprinio currently resides in New York City, where his hospitality firm, S.A. Hospitality Innovations, is based.{{cite web|url=http://www.ciachef.edu/grad-speaker-stephen-asprinio/ |title=Former "Cheftestant" Delivers Commencement Address at Alma Mater :: The Culinary Institute of America |publisher=ciachef.edu}}