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One thing you don't know about me is that I always wanted to be an architect. Designing my own restaurants is a true passion and I get very excited when I get to work with my architect.
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If I could trade places with one chef it would be Jimmy Bradley. He is my favorite chef and he has taught me so much. He influenced me and my career more than anyone else. He is a total success story, has great style and individuality, and he's super smart, plus the ladies love him.
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One of my most memorable meals was when I crashed a dinner party at a hotel in Hawaii. Two of the chefs cooking that night were Hubert Keller and Michael Otsuka. The dishes I remember the most were a foie gras torchon prepared by Keller and a foie gras shabu shabu prepared by Otsuka.
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If there was no bucatini all' Amatriciana, I'd have no reason to live.
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My go-to drink is a dirty Stoli martini on the rocks with three olives.
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If I were on death row my last meal would be veal cutlets, broccoli rabe and a side of spaghetti with clams and a bacon tomato sauce. I'd also have a green salad with cucumbers.
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My biggest mistake was in 1994 when I used lobster stock to make a veal demi glace. The entire restaurant smelled awful. I was working with chef Neil Murphy at Symphony Café and he hit me with his office chair because I wasted time and money.
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If I could change one thing about me it would be my naiveté.
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My favorite junk food is pizza-flavored Combos.
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If I wasn't a restaurant operator, I'd love to be a performer like Tony Bennett or someone in the Rat Pack.
Joey Campanaro is the chef/owner of The Little Owl, a Mediterranean restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village.
