Cesare Casella

Cesare Casella (born March 1, 1960 in Lucca, Italy) is a Italian chef, restaurateur, writer, consultant and educator. He is the owner and executive chef of Salumeria Rosi a salami shop and restaurant located in New York City's Upper West Side.

Culinary background

Casella learned the trade in Il Vipore, the trattoria owned by his parents, Rosa and Pietro, outside of Lucca, Italy.^[1] At age 14, Casella enrolled in the Culinary Institute Ferdinando Martini, in Montecatini. After graduating, he worked in his parents' trattoria in an effort to transform Vipore from a local favorite into both a regional and international destination. Here, he began developing his trademark herbal cuisine updating traditional Italian recipes with new ideas and twists. In 1991 Trattoria Vipore was awarded a Michelin star.^[2]

Restaurants

In 1993, Casella was named Executive Chef of Coco Pazzo in New York City. Soon afterwards, he launched its sister restaurant, Il Toscanaccio. In March 2001, he opened his first solo New York restaurant, Beppe, in honor of his grandfather, Giuseppe Polidori.^[1][3] Casella then launched “Republic of Beans”, an Italian import company of heirloom beans, grains and spices. In 2005, Casella opened the critically acclaimed Italian restaurant Maremma, located in Manhattan’s historic West Village. In 2006, New York Magazine named Maremma one of the Top 5 “Best New Restaurants” in New York City and bestowed Maremma with the honor of “Best Mac-n-Cheese.”^[4]

Casella opened Salumeria Rosi in 2008, a small Italian salumeria con cucina near Lincoln Center, opened in partnership with the Italian meat cured meat producer, Parmacotto.^[5] Since its opening, Casella’s salumeria has been met with a number of accolades and good reviews, including the honor of “Best Meatballs” in New York Magazine,^[6] a notable “Dining Brief” by The New York Times' Frank Bruni, and four stars by Time Out New York and the magazine’s “Critic’s Choice” award.

Other activities

In 2006, the International Culinary Center, previously known as the French Culinary Institute,^[7] appointed Casella as the first dean of Italian Studies in both New York City and Parma, Italy. Casella designed and wrote the curriculum for the joint programs and will continue to oversee the training of all chefs and instructors involved. The International Culinary Center School of Italian Studies, formerly known as The Italian Culinary Academy, launched in October 2006 in New York City and in January 2007 in Parma.

Casella also serves as Senior Manager of the DaVinci Project at The Center for Discovery, where he is working to raise awareness about sustainability and nutrition.^[8] In Spring 2011, Casella launched The Italian Cooking School, a program in which he leads authentic culinary tours across Italy.^[9] Customers engage in private hands-on cooking classes with Michelin-starred chefs, sample the wares of local food producers, and travel around Italy. Casella is also currently working on a new project entitled “True Italian,” which is aimed at promoting a deep education in, and understanding of, Italian cuisine, ingredients and culture.

Writings and TV appearances

Casella has written several books including True Tuscan (Morrow 2005), Italian Cooking for Dummies (Wiley 2002), Diary of a Tuscan Chef (Broadway 1998), and the forthcoming Introduction to Italian Cuisine, which will be the textbook for the Italian Culinary Academy. He has also been featured in many publications, including Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine and Men’s Health. He has appeared on shows ranging from “Iron Chef,” “Top Chef,” “Master Chef Australia,” “Best Thing I Ever Ate,” “No Reservations,” “Food Porn,” and “After Hours with Daniel Boulud,” to shorter segments on ABC and CBS news and Martha Stewart Living. He appears regularly at the James Beard House and DeGustibus in New York City, as a featured guest chef, and is an active member and supporter of City Harvest, Slow Food, Chef’s Collaborative, Seafood Alliance and the Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani (GRI), an organization which seeks to promote Italian cuisine.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Lee, Matt and Ted (11 February 2004). "Cesare Casella; Where 'Duck à l'Orange' Is a Canard". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/11/dining/the-chef-cesare-casella-where-duck-a-l-orange-is-a-canard.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm. Retrieved 2 March 2011. 
2. ^ "About Cesare Casella". cesarecasella.com. http://cesarecasella.com/about-cesare.html. Retrieved 9 September 2011. 
3. ^ Burros, Marian (20 June 2001). "A Seasoned Team and Tuscany". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/20/dining/restaurants-a-seasoned-team-and-tuscany.html. Retrieved 2 March 2011. 
4. ^ "Best of New York: 2006". NY Magazine. http://nymag.com/bestofny/food/2006/macandcheese/. 
5. ^ Dobkin, Kelly. "Thursday Opening Report: Daruma, Nirvana Certified Open, Salumeria Rosi Next Week". Eater. http://ny.eater.com/archives/2008/11/thursday_opening_report_daruma_nirvana_certified_open_manana_opening_sat.php. Retrieved 6-11-2008. 
6. ^ "Best of New York: Eating". NY Magazine. http://nymag.com/bestofny/food/2010/meatballs/. 
7. ^ "School of Italian Studies". International Culinary Center. http://www.internationalculinarycenter.com/italian/. 
8. ^ "The Davinci Project". The Center for Discovery. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-DaVinci-Project-at-The-Center-for-Discovery/103977922967651. 
9. ^ "Italian Cooking School". By Cesare Casella. http://www.italiancookingschool.com/. 

External links

• Salumeria Rosi

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Name	Casella, Cesare
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Date of birth	March 1, 1960
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