Since our theme this month is food, I thought it was only fitting to introduce two fine Cleveland chefs to find out more about their passion---food.
The first chef I caught up with was Dante Boccuzzi, owner of Dante Restaurant in Tremont, DBA in Akron, and The DC Pasta Co. in Strongsville. Here is what Dante had to say:
Angie Spitalieri: Where in Italy is your family from?
Dante Bocuzzi: My family is from Davoli [province of Catanzaro] in Calabria, as well as Bari, which is in Puglia.
AS: Why and how did you choose to become a Chef?
DB: I started working in restaurants when I was 14 and I fell in love with the business. When I finished high school, I went on to cooking school.
AS: Who and where were you schooled?
DB: I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. I then traveled throughout Europe and spent many years in New York working and learning from excellent chefs.
AS: What is your favorite food to eat?
DB: Pasta, of course. The flavors are amazing!
AS: What is your favorite dish to cook? Why?
DB: Risotto. It is simple yet complicated dish at the same time. It takes a lot of love and attention to make a great risotto.
AS: What traditional dishes do you serve at your restaurant? And how do you incorporate the traditional Italian dishes to your style of cooking?
DB: I spent many years living, traveling, and working in Italy. I currently own 2 restaurants that are dedicated to traditional, unaltered authentic Italian dishes. I think by serving traditional dishes done properly, this alone sets the restaurant apart from the rest.
AS: What do you do to stay educated about new trends?
DB: I read, dine out, travel, stay in touch with other chefs in other cities. It is inevitable that we will be discussing food.
AS: Tell me about an accomplishment that you are most proud of in your career?
DB: I myself, and my chef in Akron Torsten Schulz, are the only chefs in Cleveland and the state of Ohio that have received a Michelin star before.
Another great chef and legend in our community is Carl Quagliata of Giovanni's Ristorante.
AS: Where in Italy is your family from?
Carl Quagliata: My mother Dora was from the province of Campobasso [in the Molise region] south of Naples, and my father was from Sicily.
AS: Why and how did you choose to become a Chef?
CQ: I have to be honest; I credit all my cooking success to the women in my life, my mother, aunts and especially my grandmother Josephine. I would watch them for hours. If I liked something I would ask for the recipe and watch them make it.
AS: Who and where were you schooled?
CQ: Everything in know and learned was my family.
AS: What is your favorite food to eat?
CQ: My favorite dish is a roasted baby lamb with penne rigate's spezzadedu with peas and mushrooms in a roasted lamb brodetto.
AS: What is your favorite dish to cook?
CQ: Ossobucco with risotto Milanese.
AS: What traditional dishes do you serve at your restaurant? And how do you incorporate the traditional Italian dishes to your style of cooking?
CQ: As far traditional dishes that we serve at the restaurant some are: cotolette di vitello parmigiano, a crusted long bone veal chop and cavatelli alla Bolognese; both from my family style cooking.
AS: What do you do to stay educated about new trends?
CQ: I constantly am reading and speaking to other chef's
AS: Tell me about an accomplishment that you are most proud of in your career?
CQ: First and foremost, my two daughters; Carla and Nicci. When it comes to the restaurant- being chosen as one of the Zagat's top 120 restaurants in the USA.
