Chef Fabio Viviani cooking in the kitchen of his Barrington Hills home.
Chef Fabio Viviani’s 7-acre estate in Barrington Hills is expansive. The lawn is so big, a helicopter can land on it—and has. The wine cellar boasts 3,500 bottles, and he has one of the largest private spirits collections in North America. Add to that caviar, truffles and other indulgences flown in from around the world, and Viviani has crafted a recipe for exclusivity.
Chicago executives are more than willing to pay for a taste.
The celebrity chef—who moved to the United States from Italy in 2005 and captured America’s attention on “Top Chef” in 2008—launched his Private Estate Dining Experience to the public earlier this year. The members-only dinner series turns Viviani’s high-end home into a restaurant for the evening. A required $10,000 in dues covers two in-person dinners a year with wine pairing, four virtual events and six additional events at Viviani’s venues, plus concierge service. It’s another $2,500 to bring a plus-one.
The dues might be out of range for the average diner at Bar Siena or one of Viviani’s other restaurants, but membership is alluring to companies looking for a place to wine and dine clients. The memberships are also being offered at a time when companies are re-evaluating how they spend their travel and entertainment budgets in the wake of pandemic-era restrictions.
Roughly 80% of 2022 members were corporate executives, Viviani said, though he declined to say which companies have signed up.
“I have banks, we have legal firms, I have financial offices, software companies. . . .They buy 10, 15, 20 memberships,” he said. “They can invite their top-performing clients and customers, and that’s how they entertain.”
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