Culinary personality, Siena Miami restaurateur and New York Times best-selling author, Fabio Viviani returns to participate in the Orange Bowl Impact and Excellence Awards (The OBIES): A Taste of South Florida presented by Florida Blue as this year’s Celebrity Chef. The event takes place on Friday, May 29, 2015 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available at:  http://community.orangebowl.org/obies/

Born and raised in Florence, Italy, Viviani turned into one of the viewers most popular chefs after appearing on the fifth season of Bravo’s reality show, “Top Chef,” where he was named fan favorite. He would later return for “Top Chef All Stars” and the spinoff, “Life After Top Chef”. Viviani is a regular guest host on the Hallmark Channel and QVC. He has also appeared on various shows including Access Hollywood, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Rachael Ray Show, The Chew and Good Morning America.

His restaurant, Siena Tavern,  a popular spot in Chicago, opened on Miami Beach in the fall, and won the overall Flavor of South Florida Award and the People's Choice Award at The OBIES last year. The winning two dishes were:

1) Gnocchi with truffle cream, fried sage, and crispy pancetta;

2) Bay scallop crudo with granny smith apple, toasted coriander, lime, basil, chili sea salt, captured the pallet of the judges and patrons alike. 

The OBIES: A Taste of South Florida presented by Florida Blue features a night of extraordinary food, entertainment and giving as the Orange Bowl Committee celebrates those who share organization’s values in giving back to the South Florida community. 

Many of the area's top culinary chefs and restaurants will serve their best bites for the chance to be named Flavor of South Florida. A group of graduating high school senior student athletes from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties will receive scholarships and one outstanding South Florida resident will be honored with the 2015 Keith Tribble Community Service Excellence Award for the work he or she does to make a difference.

Over the years, the Orange Bowl has been able to invest millions of dollars toward South Florida youth and sports through support of intercollegiate athletics, education, events, organizations and causes, in addition to the tremendous economic impact it provides. At this year’s event, approximately $100,000 will be given back to the South Florida community. Proceeds from The OBIES: A Taste of South Florida presented by Florida Blue will go toward Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, Special Olympics Florida and the Orange Bowl Leadership Academy.

Much of the success and longevity of The OBIES: A Taste of South Florida can be attributed to Florida Blue, the presenting sponsor, which is joined by associate sponsors Capital One, AutoNation, Anheuser-Busch, Deloitte, Florida Prepaid College Board, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Keurig, NCCI, and Sun Life Stadium / Miami Dolphins.

For more information and tickets visit our website http://community.orangebowl.org/obies/ or call 305-341-4701. Stay connected by following @OrangeBowlOBIES on Instagram and Twitter.

( Information provided by The OBIES and TaraInk PR and subject to change. Please check website or call for ticket availability and more information )