This Top Chef Put His Dessert in a Jar; A Brand Was Born
From being a Top Chef fan favorite to a game-changing name in food and hospitality, Chef Fabio Viviani has done it all. After launching successful restaurants across the country and writing bestselling cookbooks, he’s now moved onto another expansive space in the food world: desserts.
His newest venture, JARS, is a fast-casual dessert brand featuring an array of treats served in eye-catching, reusable, individual jars. The first location is opening in Chicago, with plans to franchise in major markets across the US this year. Diners can expect photo-worthy, Instagrammable jars with flavors inspired by Viviani’s world travels – think Baked Alaska, shaved Italian ice, Swiss Chocolate Roll, Rice Krispies Treats, funnel cake and peach cobbler.
We sat down with the chef (virtually) to get his take on opening a business during the pandemic, where he gets his inspiration and what would his last-meal dessert be?
Can you tell us the origin story of JARS?
It’s actually really simple. There was a delivery order with a slice of cake. Though we placed it in our to-go container with care, we knew it would never arrive at its destination with the same presentation. Invariably, packaging shifts in transit and soon all that icing decoration gets smushed. We were talking about options to preserve the presentation and taste of our desserts and then we realized the solution. It wasn’t the dessert – it was the container! Thus, JARS was born.