Portrait of a Chef

TONY PRIOLO

by KATHRYN O’MALLEY

Chef Tony Priolo brings an authentic slice of Italy to the Chicago culinary scene with his popular restaurant Piccolo Sogno and sister hot-spot, Piccolo Sogno Due. While the latter carries with it an added emphasis on seafood, Tony’s clean and rustic cooking style, focus on high quality ingredients, and masterful preparation make both dining experiences truly exceptional. We invited Stephanie Izard, the subject of last issue’s “Portrait of a Chef,” to ask Tony anything she wanted…and Tony was happy to oblige.

One of the many standouts on the menu at Piccolo Sogno Due: the grilled veal loin with summer squash, cured tomatoes, Tropea onions and aged balsamic.

what do you eat on your days off?

On my days off, I try and cook for my lovely wife Sarah something that she requests in the morning so it is ready when she gets off work. Something like chili or matzo ball soup. Or, if I am not cooking I try and go out to dinner with my friends who are also chefs. Sometimes we like to go to ethnic neighborhoods and eat food from other cultures, such as in Chinatown or on Lawrence Avenue for Korean food.

have you spent a lot of time in italy?

I have spent a lot of time in Italy, I try to go at least once a year. It is hard to get away for any longer but I do occasionally sneak in a second trip.

what are your favorite food regions?

I have to say that in all my travels to Italy, my past trip last January to Sicily was by far the best. The food, the culture, the setting and the people really make it the best. In Sicily you can get the most simple of foods in the Palermo market from fried panelle to arancini, to a mystery meat basket of all kinds of steamed innards and assorted meats. My favorite is Sfincione, a flatbread pizza baked with tomatoes ground with pecorino and anchovies.

what is your favorite childhood food memory?

One of my best childhood memories (I must have been six years old) was with my Grandmother Priolo. She was an avid cook and would travel all around Chicago by bus to get the best ingredients and food products. I remember one trip I took with her to Little Italy, which was at least three bus rides away from the Northwest side of Chicago where I grew up, to get a part for her meat grinder that was broken from overuse.

who would you want to cook for if you could chose one person dead or alive?

There is only one, my grandmother, Fay Priolo. I would like to show her how she influenced my whole life.

best question, what is your favorite movie?

LOL, this is a hard one. I have two: first it would be Shawshank Redemption and second The Rookie (I am a baseball fanatic).