Monday, October 29, 2007
Restaurants / Food media Of chefs and owners
Posted by Besha Rodell @BeshaRodell on Mon, Oct 29, 2007 at 2:16 PM
Wow, here's a roundabout communication. Over the weekend, one of our interns came across an open letter to me, posted on Atlanta Cuisine's site, in a thread about this blog. Phew!
But the nature of the letter was quite interesting, and I'd like a chance to respond. The post read:
Besha- I read your review of Beleza in CL this weekend, and loved it for all of it's insight into the challenges of the menu. What I find interesting though is the continued classification of Riccardo Ullio as the "chef" of his restaurants Sotto Sotto and Fritti; however you do in you article name Michelle McKenzie as the chef at Beleza. As an employee of Mr. Ullio for over a year, I have yet to see him actually work in one of his kitchens, or plan one of his seasonal menus. When I am working, and a guest asks to speak to Chef Ullio, we are told to reply that "the Chef has the day off, and to please look for him in his kitchen tomorrow". I would think that Riccardo Ullio would be more befitting of the description of a restaurant visionary here in Atlanta, finding great themes and concepts, and bringing them to life in his great restaurants. However, in my time working in his restaurants, it would be a dishonor to credit the great food of Sotto Sotto and Fritti to Riccardo Ullio. The real credit goes to the talented daily management, as well as the kitchen staff (many of whom have been working for Riccardo for 7+ years).
Having worked in restaurants myself for many years with "executive chefs" who are never around, I understand the letter writer's frustration. Believe me, I know how valuable the team of cooks, sous chefs and chefs de cuisine are, which is partly why I did my Food Issue this year focusing on cooks rather than chefs. But I think in the restaurant industry, it is somewhat understood that owners who are chefs by trade are often going to get that executive chef title, whether or not it's deserved. It's something that comes up a lot, and even more so when the supposed chefs don't even live in the same city as their restaurants. Should we assume that the flurry of celebrity chefs who are about to open restaurants in Atlanta are not actually the chefs, or should not be credited as such? I suppose that remains to be seen, as some chefs are very involved in all their projects (I recently met Jean Georges on site at his Minneapolis restaurant, Chambers Kitchen, despite that he most certainly does not live in Minnesota), while some are not (Emeril's anyone?).
As far as Riccardo Ullio and Beleza go, I know that Michelle McKenzie is the chef and is credited as such, that Ullio is the owner, and that's how I defined him in the article as well as how he defines himself, and that he is incredibly involved in the project. Every time I visited for the review he was there, acting as owner, not as chef. When I spoke with him on the phone, it was obvious that the overall direction of the restaurant, menu included, would eventually be his call.
As for his other restaurants, I have done no direct reporting on them. But I know that chefs come and go at Sotto Sotto (Jose Rego recently left to become chef at Allegro), but the menu does not change in any significant way. I can only conclude that Ullio is behind the overriding direction of the menu, thus making him deserving of the title "executive chef." If I was a staff member who had been directed to tell white lies to customers about an owner's involvement, it would annoy me as well. But then again, working for chef/owners who spend every waking moment of their lives in their own kitchens can be difficult, too. I think most chefs hope one day to set their kitchens on a steady course, step away from the stove, and put their faith in a well-chosen staff. Should that mean they have to give up their title as chef? I'm not so sure.
Comments (3)
Showing 1-3 of 3
Miss Rodell thank you so much for writting this great article.After I read this article I just burst into joy to know that you and others give value to those in the kitchen who are known as the underdogs. Well it is these people who give great reputations to the most known restaurants through out the nation. Thank you again so much for recognizing again those cooks and chefs who never get any credit.Jose Rego
like
dislike
Besha I am a senior manager and work very closely with Riccardo in managing his 3 restaurants. While I do not know who wrote the previous post or if this person actually is an employee, I strongly disagree and can state Riccardo is the driving force behind seasonal menu changes, critiquing preparations and ingredients and developing new dishes at both Sotto Sotto and Fritti. More so he deserves credit in developing and maintaining a seasoned management team and kitchen staff that can execute recipes and menus he has created consistently on a daily basis without his constant supervision which has become quite rare in this industry. Your point is right on in mentioning "the menu does not change in any significant way. I can only conclude that Ullio is behind the overriding direction of the menu, thus making him deserving of the title “executive chef." I would also like to state that it is nonsense that our servers are instructed to tell guests that "the Chef has the day off, and to please look for him in his kitchen tomorrowâ€. Mike Di Paolo - Director of Operations
For the record, I live in Inman Park and have frequented Sotto Sotto/Fritti for many years now and also live down the street from Mr. Ullio. I can firsthand attest to him hardly being at these flagship restaurants and always seem to see his car (now a flashier new one) parked at his house or at some other club/restaurant du jour on any given night. I don't have a problem with him taking a step back from kitchen duties to focus more on his overall branding and other projects, but if you have sampled his main entrees at Sotto lately he REALLY needs to revisit the Sotto furnace. The roasted chicken is DRY and flavorless; and the tuna entree is undeserving to its price tag for the lower grade of quality that it is. When I order seared tuna for his $21+, I am expecting a deep ruby red sushi grade slab of prime tuna and not some pink translucent glob that I expect to see at RuSans. As a matter of fact, most of his entrees are lackluster and the real things that shine here are his primi and segundi (pasta) dishes. I do like his places, and have no complaints about Fritti or like I said his secondary dishes at Sotto. However, that seems to be what he and his staff excel at, more bistro simple type fare rather than higher level fine dining.
Latest in Omnivore
-
The Montauk Grifter: How to con your way into the kitchen 1
How Dan Kaufman conned his way into a big name in the food industry.
-
Weekend Food Events, Feb. 17-19: Pet parade dinner, Atlanta Chef's Expo, and more
Restaurant events for the weekend of Feb. 17-19.
-
Mardi Gras restaurant events in Atlanta: Where to eat, party and les bon your temps 1
Break out your multi-colored beads!
- More »
Author Archives
-
Eat
morless chicken 20Georgians for Pastured Poultry seek to raise awareness of our factory farming problems
-
Patrick La Bouff: The Restaurateur 3
Up-and-coming restaurant mogul tackles the enigma of Midtown
- More »
