8 Things You Didn't Know About Fabio Viviani

Fabio Viviani quickly became a fan favorite on Top Chef, and now the Italian Stallion who grew up in a Tuscan housing project sharing an apartment overflowing with family, has a cookbook out. Called Fabio's Italian Kitchen, it's filled with over 100 reciepes including 'Ricotta Gnocchi with Squash Blossoms and Clams, and 'Bored Lamb in Chianti.' Buono! To celebrate the release, we asked him to share a few factoids about himself and they are as cute as he is!

1. He set his grandmother on fire when he was a little boy. (Don't worry -- she was OK.)

2. He met and shook the pope's hand when he was a child.

3. He's terrified of bumble bees. " I scream like a little girl and run away when I have one close to me," he says.

4. He hates cilantro as much as he adores Nutella.

5. He didn't sleep on a bed until he was almost 10 years old because his house didn't have room for it. Intead, he spent his nights on a recliner.

6. He lost his best friend when he was 20 years old, inspiring the tattoo on his chest above his heart.

7. He used to speak French fluently and decent German, but he had since dropped them for Spanish and English.

8. He has 11 turtles -- not just the one we've seen on-air. "The first 3 don't have names; one is named Texas cause I smuggled it from there. The other seven are called 5,6,7,8,9,10,11," he shares.

Tell us: which fact surprised you most?!