Food Network star Christian Petroni was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1983, and as a kid he spent “countless [times] in the kitchen learning to make Italian feasts.” During his career, he helmed several popular kitchens, co-partnered one restaurant, and opened five restaurants of his own under the name Fortina.

Petroni was one of the four chef-and-restaurateurs featured in Guy Fieri’s heartbreaking documentary, “Restaurant Hustle 2020: All On The Line,” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before he could film the sequel, though, Petroni announced that he would be stepping away from the Fortina brand.

According to Petroni, running the restaurant during the pandemic was “one of the hardest and darkest times of his life,” but even before the pandemic, it was a difficult endeavor which he had been contemplating leaving. As for what’s next, Petroni says he’s “working on something” “cool and [...] awesome.”

Currently, Petroni is the proud owner of chickens, some of whom are named after characters from “Sex And The City.” In addition to his undisclosed “cool” project, however, Petroni sells T-shirts and hoodies printed with the word “Gabagool,” and may possibly have some culinary plans for a “portable pizza oven.”