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Chiarello graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, in 1982, and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in hospitality management from Florida International University in 1984.

From there, Chiarello blazed a trail for Californian and Italian cuisine over his 40 year career as a chef and restaurateur, in which he developed more than 10 restaurants, starting with Toby's in Miami, and was named Chef of the Year by Food & Wine magazine.

A few of his other top culinary accolades include being named the Culinary Institute of America's Alumni of the Year in 2011, Chef of the Year by Esquire in 2013, James Beard finalist in the same year for Best New Restaurant, and garnering a glowing 3.5 star review by the San Francisco Chronicle for his Spanish restaurant Coqueta on Pier 5.

He hosted two hit shows, the Emmy Award-winning Food Network series \"Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello,\" which was set among the beautiful wine country backdrop at Trefethen Winery, and \"NapaStyle\" on the Fine Living Network. He also appeared in other culinary shows on PBS and the Cooking Channel, and later made it to the finals as a runner-up on Bravo's \"Top Chef Masters\" in 2009. He also finished in third place on the Food Network competition show \"The Next Iron Chef\" in 2011.

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