Instead, the 25-year-old chef and restaurateur points to the “Great Chefs” series.

“They showed you the best chefs in the world, and they would be in a real kitchen and you would see them work,” said Moulios.

In the time when most children dream of becoming astronauts or police officers, Moulios said he knew he wanted to cook for other people and run his own restaurant.

He’s been doing that since 2006, when at the age of 21 he opened Cin Cin Simply Italian, his restaurant and wine bar at 14771 Pomerado Road.

Moulios said he grew up looking up to chefs such as Jacques Pépin, Thomas Keller and Rick Bayless, dreaming about the day he may be on television too.

If things go his way, that moment may come soon.

He’s already a familiar face on television. Last year he was chosen as the face of his alma mater, the International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute, in a national television commercial.

Earlier this month, cameras were in his restaurant following him around during the filming of a pilot — an early step in the development of a television program — for the Bravo TV network, which currently airs shows such as “Top Chef” and other reality series.

Moulios said his show would not be a cooking show, but would focus on his life as a young chef running his own restaurant. As the cameras rolled, Moulios worked, jumped behind the drum kit to sit in with one of the bands that plays at the restaurant and went out to get a tattoo (“La Dolce Vita,” Italian for “The Sweet Life,” engraved across his chest).

He also visited his farm in Escondido, where many of the ingredients that are used in his restaurant are grown, part of his philosophy for cooking that stresses the use of local, fresh-grown ingredients.

Moulios said his program will show what really happens behind the scenes at restaurants, an aspect he says remains largely unbeknownst to television viewers.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “It’s 16 hour days, seven days a week. It’s a lot of hard work serving 120 dinners a day and running a restaurant.”

Moulios said he especially wants people to know that it’s not easy becoming a chef, even for those who have an education.

In fact, Moulios said that when he was selected for the television commercial for the International Culinary Schools, he re-wrote his script to address some of the realities of becoming a chef. He noted, for example, that only three of the students in his graduating class went on to become chefs.

“You can love to cook, but running a restaurant is much different than cooking at home for two or three people,” he said.

In addition to waiting on whether the pilot is picked up, Moulios is working on other projects.

On Sunday, Aug. 8, Moulios will take part in Sunday Night Chef Fights, a head-to-head cooking competition at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center in San Diego.

His opponent will be Richard Schmitt, the executive chef and head instructor at the Barbeques Galore Cooking Experience in 4S Ranch. According to his bio, Schmitt attended the Newbury College Culinary Program and has worked at fine restaurants and resorts and under award-winning chef Bradley Ogden in San Francisco.

During the live competition, the chefs will have 30 minutes to cook a dish using a series of ingredients that will be revealed a week before the event, in addition to a secret ingredient. The winner will be determined by the audience members after tasting the dishes.

Tickets to the event are $50 and can be purchased online at www.sundaynightcheffights.com.

For more information about Moulios, go to www.CinCinSD.com.