Known as 'Mustache Joe,' the chef shocked fans with his new look on April 1
Credit: Smallz & Raskind/Bravo; joe sasto/instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Top Chef star Joe Sasto shared AI-generated photos of himself without his iconic handlebar mustache
- Sasto shared the photos in an Instagram post on Wednesday, April 1—April Fools Day
- A rep for Sasto confirmed that he still has the mustache
Top Chef star Joe Sasto, known by his nickname "Mustache Joe," teased that he may be sporting a new look.
Sasto, who normally has a classic handlebar mustache with curled ends, shared photos of himself sans stache in an Instagram post on Wednesday, April 1. "GOOD BYE MUSTACHE! ✌🏼felt like it was time for a change…," Sasto wrote in the caption. "Now accepting new nicknames."
The Instagram photos appear to have the watermark associated with Gemini AI in the corner, indicating that the chef shared the AI-generated images of himself without the mustache.
"'THE CHEF FORMERLY KNOWN AS MUSTACHE JOE,'" one person wrote in the comment section.
"Not buying it!!"Chef Josh Capon chimed in. "The STACHE is GOLD!"
"That’s like Hercules cutting his hair …will you still be able to cook?" another person wrote in the comments.
Sasto's rep confirmed to PEOPLE that "the mustache is not gone," adding, "Great April Fool's joke though."
Credit: joe sasto/instagram
Sasto appeared on several iterations of Top Chef from 2017 to 2020 as a contestant, and on Chopped from 2016 to 2022 as both a contestant and a judge.
In 2025, Sasto launched Tantos!, a stuffed-chip brand inspired by classic Italian pasta dishes in homage to his heritage. Sasto and co-founder Sean Knecht appeared on Shark Tank in November of last year to pitch the project.
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"Tantos takes its name from 'Tanto Si,' an Italian expression that means so much yes,'" the description on the official website reads. "Inspired by our founder Chef Joe Sasto's lifelong passion for pasta, Tantos is a snack that feeds everything you are and everything you want to say yes to."
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