ST. LOUIS – Viviano’s on The Hill is used to a crowd of customers, but this week it’s full of film crews shooting the pilot episode for the TV show “Spaghetti Wars.”
“My mind works in mysterious ways sometimes,” St. Louis chef Pepe Kehm said.
“Spaghetti Wars” is Kehm’s brainchild. Its premise?
“I’d say ‘Family Feud’ meets ‘The Sopranos’ meets ‘Shark Tank,’” he said.
Kehm says the competitors will focus on a series of food challenges and try to cook their way up the ranks.
“We’re an organized family of food. Like the Cosa Nostra of food, our little thing. The idea is we do regional events. Basketball has March Madness. We have Mob Madness. This is the Midwest Regional,” Kehm said.
If the concept catches on, regional winners will compete to become made men or women.
“It’s $100,000 for that person that wins the season. Their big idea, which comes kind of in the ‘Shark Tank’ situation, we’ll help them achieve that,” Kehm said.
“He said, ‘Hey, I think I might have something here.’ I said, ‘Well, you’ve got a place to do it in,’” John Viviano, owner of John Viviano and Sons Grocers, said.
Viviano closed his store for the week so it could be transformed into the set for “Spaghetti Wars.”
“I said I’d absolutely love to have you and be a part of your dream, because now your dream is my dream of diversifying and doing something different for the community—again, The Hill—and just being a part of this whole situation,” Viviano said. “So, I’m enjoying it. I think it’s a lot of fun.”
“Spaghetti Wars” is using a state tax credit created to promote and attract film production in Missouri to help fund the pilot.
“We have a plan. We’ll own the IP. We’ll own the product. We’ll go to the studio and say we’re not looking for money, here it is,” Kehm said. “Hopefully they’ll order some episodes and some seasons. I’m not quitting my job, that’s all I’ll say, but I want to have fun.”
If the finished product is as fun as its creators, viewers around the world will be feasting on “Spaghetti Wars” in no time.