Born in 1978 in Chicago, IL, Jeff Mauro was instantly totally into making sandwiches. One of his first creations was a Mother's Milk Grinder, made with wilted arugula, seared fig and a wonderful balsamic reduction. In all seriousness, Jeff spent his youth performing in school plays, Second City Chicago youth programs, acting classes and, all the while, feeding his enormous appetite. After attending Bradley University School of Communications, he opened a deli with his cousin and performed at nights as "Tony" in the Chicago production of "Tony and Tina's Weddings". With professional cooking knowledge and his acting and improv chops honed, he moved out west to the Island of Los Angeles. Here, he attempted for three years to produce and co-star with his best friend, Ali Khan, in the gonzo cooking show concept known to most Hollywood insiders as "Chef Jeff & Ali". After a couple of years, he threw in the towel, enrolled in culinary school, worked in some restaurants, moved back Chicago, got married, had a baby and landed himself on Season 7 of The Next Food Network Star (2005), winning. Jeff Mauro is now the host of Food Network's Sandwich King (2011), where he showcases the art-form that is Sandwich-Making by turning any sandwich into a meal, and meal into a sandwich.