Cookbook Event: Joe Sasto celebrates Breaking the Rules with Jeff Mauro

City Lit is thrilled to host Joe Sasto in celebration of his new cookbook Breaking the Rules! This event will feature a conversation with Joe Sasto and Jeff Mauro followed by Q&A.

This event will be held offsite at The Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Dive into a bold, fun, and daring collection of recipes that break the rules of Italian cooking from Top Chef and Food Network star Joe Sasto. Known for his signature curled mustache and dynamic presence on-screen, Joe brings his culinary expertise and passion for pasta to your kitchen with debut cookbook. With step-by-step techniques that guide you through creating dishes in all forms, shapes, and sizes—from classic Italian recipes like Meatballs and Focaccia to innovative creations such as Corn Cacio e Pepe, Marinated Tomato “Amatriciana,” and Pesto Pinwheel Pull-Apart Bread—Breaking the Rules is an invitation to embrace creativity in the kitchen.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Celebrity chef Joe Sasto found his love for cooking and Italian classics as a child at his mother’s side, and it was at the Michelin-starred Quince in San Francisco that Sasto’s passion for pasta truly began. In 2018, Sasto forged his own path and dreamed of opening his own restaurant. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020, he pivoted his career by teaching virtual pasta-making classes. With more than 100 million likes and countless viral social media videos, Sasto has become a recurring judge and chef personality across multiple shows on the Food Network. He’s also competed and appeared on Food Network shows such as Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Chopped, as well as Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef All Stars. In 2022, Sasto made the Food Network’s first-ever “Hot List.” Aside from his career as a chef, Joe Sasto has developed a high-end customizable pasta and pizza tool line, and he is the creator of Tantos, the first puffed pasta chip which launched the summer of 2024. He lives in Chicago and enjoys time with his pup, Tito, and his wife, Kait.

Jeff Mauro is an Emmy-nominated celebrity chef, proud Chicagoan, and the self_proclaimed funniest guy in food. From an early age, he set out to blend his love of cooking with his natural comedic chops—a mission that ultimately led him to win Season 7 of Food Network Star. That victory launched his Emmy-nominated series, Sandwich King, and solidified his place as a co-host of The Kitchen, now in its 38th season. Jeff is also a regular on Food Network primetime hits like Worst Cooks in America and Holiday Wars.

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