Allison Fasano was born and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
She knew at the age of 11 years old that she wanted to become a Chef after seeing Rachael Ray on the Food Network for the first time. She began following and cooking alongside her father who inspired her passion for Italian cuisine. Following her passion, she studied Culinary Arts abroad in Calabria, Italy were she specialized in regional Italian cuisine. As a Chef, Allison loves bold layers of flavor – food that tells a story or what she likes to call “Nonna Style“- food that gives you a hug on the inside. Her passion and her dynamic personality landed her in the most exciting culinary scenes in NYC.
For over the past 21 years, Allison has worked in Michelin Star restaurants including The Sagamore Resort, Lidia and Joe Bastianich’s Del Posto, and at Gato with Bobby Flay’s team as a Sous Chef.
Allison is a TedX speaker in her speech “Food at Everyone’s Table” about the importance of food waste and how we can end hunger. A keynote speaker at Athena (women’s leadership award ceremony) also a keynote at Molloy College and Hofstra University ( Women’s Conference) also most recently a keynote speaker in Bozeman Montana for the “Blazing Trails: Women in business Summit” Allison often speaks about her first hand experience working as a Chef and overcoming diversity being women in the industry and how she often had to work even harder to earn the title. Her message “ Just say Yes” was inspired by her Father who served as a first responder down at ground zero after 9/11. After his passing she found herself saying “Yes” (which her father also told her to do) to things she never imagined. Her talks hope to inspire women to do things that scare them because saying “No” is the biggest regret of them all.
Allison has appeared on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay”, “Chopped”, Fios’ “Restaurant Hunters” and “Newsday FeedMe TV”, “Dishmantled” She was recently won an episode of Food Network’s Supermarket Stakeout. Her newest Food Network adventure will be airing soon.
Allison became the Executive Chef at Harleys American Grille located in Farmingdale NY, where she received a rare 3 stars and the restaurant was named one of the top 5 restaurants to try on Long Island in 2019.
During Covid-19 Allison fed first responders at covid testing sites across NYC, 3 meals a day with over 4,000 meals a week. She gives back when she’s not cooking in restaurants and often in support of the community and women. In March 2021 she raised $30,000 to help Women owned restaurants and for continued education for young girls to go to culinary school and mentorship.
She’s Currently a Chef in Bozeman, Montana
Her motto in life is, “Food and laughter are what I’m after.”
Instagram : @ChefAllisonFasano
