Emanuele Simeoni

Expert Interview: Emanuele Simeoni

Behind the Chef

What were your favorite foods growing up?
Grilled branzino.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
I never decided, it just happened. Growing up in Italy with a mother who cooked incredible food and a family who was in the food distribution industry, cooking was always a natural course for me.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
When I was six years old, I wanted pasta and decided to make it from scratch (we always made pasta from scratch). My mother helped me and that was the beginning.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
A windsurfer.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Simple, elegant and tasty.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My knives. My two favorites are Global and Sho-yu.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
I cannot tell you if it is a secret!

What qualities to you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
The ability to work hard and be serious, but also have the ability to have fun.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
Everything is a challenge. What is good for me may not be good for you and vice versa.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
At my first restaurant, they served my truffle risotto (which was $80 a person) without the truffle sauce or any sauce whatsoever, just plain boiled risotto. I was horrified, but then the next day, the manager told me the customer wanted to speak to me and he ended up telling me that was one of the most delightful, amazing, unique risotto's he had ever tasted. That night, he brought two friends back to the restaurant and ordered the risotto. I had to serve it to them plain, again. I guess it was a bittersweet disaster.

What is your least favorite food?
Chocolate.

What is your beverage of choice?
Pinot Grigio.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
I eat at home or I order in from Green Kitchen Diner.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Italy.

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
A 15 course tasting menu at Per Se Restaurant in NYC.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Cook what you are in the mood to eat and it will be spectacular.

What do you eat when you are home?
It depends— pasta or a burger from Green Kitchen Diner (and I do not even like burgers!)

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Expert Profile

Born in Latisana, Italy, Emanuele Simeoni has always had a love for fine food. From the time he was a small child, he was brought up to think, talk, and breathe "food." As with most Italian families, Simeoni's mother was an excellent cook and from a very early age, she taught him to appreciate quality, home cooked, Italian cuisine. The Simeoni family business, which was a food distribution company, also had a helping hand in making Simeoni the sought after chef he is today.

As a food distributor, Simeoni dealt first hand with distributing meat, fish, vegetables and dairy to various hotels and restaurants in the area. This put Simeoni right in the kitchens of the greatest restaurants in Italy and allowed him to see the great variety of produce that existed and the endless possibilities when it came to cooking. It was at this time point in his life that Simeoni decided he would be a chef.

Simeoni's first job was as a Sous Chef at La Picanna in Bella Venezia. After three years, he moved to one of the most famous restaurants in Northern Italy, Al Grob. Simeoni worked at Al Grob for five years, before deciding to move to the US and open his very own restaurant. Barbaluc allowed Simeoni to create Italy in Manhattan with Italian style cooking that incorporated fresh ingredients. Simeoni sold Barbaluc after four years and become a partner in Bar Italia in New York's Upper East Side, which he sold after one short year.

Simeoni was approached by restaurant entrepreneurs Giuseppe Tuosto and Barry Mullineaux to run the kitchen at Via dei Mille, a home style Italian eatery in Manhattan's SoHo. Before accepting their offer, Simeoni returned to his hometown of Latisana where he was able to reflect on why he became a chef to begin with, which was his love of good food. While in Italy, Simeoni continued to cook and experiment with new dishes and ingredients. In April 2010, Simeoni returned to the US with a menu full of new dishes and become the Executive Chef of Via dei Mille.

Simeoni describes his cooking style as New World Italian, using old recipes in a new style. It is through the use of fresh herbs, seasonal ingredients, and unprocessed foods that Simeoni creates unique dishes that bring your taste buds to life.