My Favorite Cigar
Rocco DiSpirito • Celebrity Chef/Restaurateur • Padrón Serie 1926 No. 9 Maduro
In the early 2000s, Chef Rocco DiSpirito went from obscurity to fame when he starred in the reality-television show “The Restaurant,” which chronicled the tumultuous opening of his Italian-American eatery, Rocco’s. This was before restaurants had become an established setting for the reality genre, but not before he became a lover of cigars. Some 30 years ago, just as he was opening New York City’s highly regarded Union Pacific restaurant, DiSpirito was presented with an Elie Bleu humidor as a gift. The chef’s reaction was to fill it with fine smokes.
After publishing 14 cookbooks and appearing on numerous television programs, DiSpirito still smokes cigars, naming the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 9 Maduro as his favorite. Today, the 59-year-old spends less time on TV and more time in the kitchen of his new restaurant, Bar Rocco, on the edge of Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center. He finds time for a cigar whenever he can. “Sometimes three times a month, sometimes every day for a week, sometimes not at all,” he says. “In our lives everything is so fast paced. The whole world is turbo charged. It’s a time to slow down, talk and do very little other than focus on the cigar.”
