cuisine
Under the direction of world-renowned chef Marcellino Verzino, Marcellino Ristorante dishes out classic Mediterranean fare – from scrumptious seafood to handcrafted pasta – using fresh, seasonal ingredients while maintaining the integrity of true Italian cuisine. Tell us about your Italian heritage. I was born on my family’s farm in the Campania region of Italy and was raised in the small town of Reino – think lush rolling hills, olive groves and vineyards as far as the eyes can see. I was living “farm to table” before it was a buzzword! How did you get your start in the kitchen? I began cooking for my family when I was 12, after I lost my mother. By age 21, I moved to Rome, where I served as a personal chef and then eventually took over service at a luxury seaside resort. I would eventually open my open restaurants and bistros across Rome and the Italian regions of Calabria and Abruzzo. When did you make your move to the United States? My love, Sima, is originally from Manhattan. We met on New Year’s Eve in 1993 while she was working as a recording artist and performer in Italy. We moved to New York in 1996 to get married and get our start in the restaurant business in America. We opened a series of successful restaurants over the next decade, earning the coveted Award of Excellence from The New York Times along the way.
CHEF CONVERSATIONS In the kitchen with Marcellino Verzino of Marcellino Ristorante BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ PHOTO BY DEBBY WOLVOS
SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| MARCH 2017
How did you make your way to Arizona? In late 2002, we were simply visiting friends out here and fell in love. Within three months of visiting, we not only moved here, but also opened Marcellino Ristorante (originally in Central Phoenix; we moved to the Scottsdale space in 2010) and received a five-star rating from Arizona’s then-top food critic, Howard Seftel. What would people be surprised to know about you? I not only serve as chef at Marcellino, but also designed the Scottsdale space – and even built some of it – myself. When you walk in, our goal is for you is to be transformed back to my native Italy, if even for just an hour or two. Marcellino Ristorante, 7114 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale; 480.990.9500; www.marcellinoristorante.com.