Food Network Alum Reveals Deadly Mafia Past

Former Food Network personality and chef David Ruggerio revealed how he secretly lived life as a “made” member of the Mafia. According to an interview in Vanity Fair, Ruggerio opened up about his life as part of the mob, including how he took part in several murders, dealing drugs, extortion, fraud and many others.

He balanced his mafia ties with his rise in the world of food, restaurants and more in New York. While he was in charge of La Caravelle, Maxim’s and Le Chantilly in Manhattan, Ruggerio claims he was fully involved in organized crime.

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Ruggerio would also host his own Food Network show, Ruggerio to Go, while also writing several books, cookbooks and making separate appearances on PBS. According to the former Food Network personality, his time in the mob started at age 11.

His father, Saverio Erasmo Gambino, originated from Sicily and was the one to introduce his son to the mafia life. Gambino was also the cousin of the infamous Carlo Gambino, “boss of all bosses” in the U.S. and the head of the Five Families in New York during the ’60s and ’70s.

“I was living two lives,” Ruggerio told the outlet. “I did things when I was pushed that I’m not proud of. But to really, truly be in the streets, you gotta have a black heart. When you turn that switch, there can be no emotion. You have no pity. You gotta just do it.”

After a trip to Sicily with his father in 1977, Ruggerio claims he was “made” by Santo Inzerillo and inducted into the organization under his birth name, Sabatino Antonino Gambino. Ruggerio would detail how he was part of Carmine Lombardozzi’s crew, aka The King of Wall Street who was the largest earner for the Gambino crime family.

His influence led to Ruggerio maintaining the dual lives, with Lombardozzi urging his crew to have day jobs to avoid the suspicions of the police. The Food Network alum would then end up in the La Caravelle kitchen, helping to cement his status as a top chef globally while also hiding his criminal connections.

Why Ruggerio decided to break the “code of silence” is pretty straightforward, according to the interview. The death of his son to drugs and alcohol led to the former star chef’s questions about the lifestyle and how he’d end up.

“I’ll let the chips fall where they may,” he told Vanity Fair. “After I lost my son, I knew that this has to end with me.” Ruggerio is hoping to pen a book on his life but makes clear that he won’t “rat” out anybody, though repercussions for his speaking out could be bad enough.

Crime also cost him his restaurant stable in 1998, with a charge for credit card fraud and a guilty plea leaving him swimming in debt and probation.