He works with 9 different types of dough and has brought the true tradition of Emilian housewives to New York, seasoned with a pinch of creativity and attention to detail. Thus, Stefano Secchi has joined the ranks of Michelin-starred American restaurants, after significant experiences in Italy.
Photo by Rezdora Osteria Emiliana
The Story
Born in Texas to a Sardinian father and British mother, Stefano Secchi has paid homage to his roots in a restaurant named after the "Rezdora", the Emilian housewife, starred since 2019, where he serves the best fresh pasta in America thanks to very high-level experiences, from Palluda to Bottura.
ON THE NEW YORK GASTRONOMIC SCENE, A TRUE "PASTA RENAISSANCE" IS UNDERWAY, WITH 60 RESTAURANTS REVIEWED BY THE MICHELIN GUIDE. BUT WHAT KIND OF PASTA ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
Personally, I'm really a pasta maker and I usually choose places like the Gattopardo, which represent tradition. Here they understand that "pasta" is the most important thing, as Italians think, not just the sauce, the American way, because it requires balance. However, when I go out, I usually eat Japanese food!
DID YOU EXPECT TO RECEIVE A MICHELIN STAR IN 2021, TWO YEARS AFTER OPENING, AND TO KEEP IT EVER SINCE?
We're lucky, yes, but I've always worked in this type of restaurant and don't know any other way... professionalism, passion, the desire to always push forward. I couldn't place myself in a different category.
YOUR RESTAURANT IS CALLED "OSTERIA EMILIANA" AND PAYS HOMAGE RIGHT FROM ITS NAME TO HOUSEWIVES AND PASTA MAKERS. BUT YOU ARE ITALO-AMERICAN, BORN IN TEXAS TO A SARDINIAN FATHER AND A BRITISH MOTHER. WHAT WAS EATING AT HOME LIKE?
The crucial thing is that I returned every year for 4-5 months. My father, who had seven brothers, was the only one who went abroad. So, I have many uncles and cousins, whom I visited traveling all over the country. And even at home, we ate as in Italy: the Mediterranean diet, with a combination of ragù and other specialties from the north, tortellini in broth, Bolognese lasagna, tagliatelle...
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE EMILIAN CUISINE?
Because I will never forget the first time I tasted tortellini in broth, as a child. I was in Bologna and it was a "transcendent" experience. I ordered two portions! The dough became very important to me at that moment.
DOES NOT BEING BORN IN ITALY INFLUENCE YOUR APPROACH?
Italy has always been a second home for me, I also have dual citizenship. But I take our culture and try to translate it and push it forward here in America in the best possible way, with a lot of humility, a lot of passion, and an "American" desire.
YOU TRAINED WITH IMPORTANT MASTERS LIKE DAVIDE PALLUDA, LARA MORANDI OF HOSTERIA GIUSTI, AND MASSIMO BOTTURA, AS WELL AS LIDIA BASTIANICH. DID THEY INSPIRE YOUR OWN PLACE?
I worked with Lidia (and Dodo, executive chef of Felidia) for an externship while attending the Culinary Institute of America, and we cooked the "most" Italian food in the United States at that time. But Laura Morandi taught me to roll out dough with a rolling pin, it was me and four grandmothers. Truly a life-changing experience: I rolled out dough every day and we went to Albinelli market every morning to buy ingredients. There were only four tables, and only for lunch. An old-fashioned way of working, truly Italian, top!
Davide Palluda was an incredible experience for the quality of the food, with an eye on Piedmontese tradition and technical innovation. A true master. Finally, Massimo Bottura and his team instilled in me the necessary sensitivity to work at high levels, with great respect for colleagues, top-notch techniques and flavors, an eye on Italian tradition, and the other on the world. They remain part of my life and almost a second family in Italy.
DO YOU ONLY SERVE FRESH PASTA?
We are an Osteria Emiliana, so our menu follows the Italian tradition: Appetizer, First Course, Second Course, and Desserts.
ARE YOUR RECIPES BOTH CLASSIC AND CREATIVE? YOU'RE FAMOUS FOR A CRAB FLOWER DISH, A STUFFED PASTA BORN FROM A PERFECT CASUAL MOMENT, KIND OF LIKE THE JAPANESE ICHIGO ICHIE.
The menu is 60% classic, with top ingredients, and 40% "contemporary".
ROLLING PIN OR PASTA MACHINE? YOLKS ONLY OR NOT?
Both (rolling pin and Monferrina) and a combination of yolks and whole eggs. We work with almost nine types of dough (did I mention I'm a pasta maker?).
ARE THERE STILL PREJUDICES TO OVERCOME ABOUT PASTA IN THE UNITED STATES?
The size of the portions: in Italy, we're used to eating less of it, before the second course, while in America they want a full plate, main course style. Then the sauce: usually here they want quite a bit of it, instead at Rezdôra we plate with the "right" amount for balance. Imagining a grandmother rolling out dough all morning and a person "smothering" the beautiful pasta with a ton of ragù really bothers me.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN YOUR FUTURE?
La Bella Rezdôra and promoting Italian food and culture in the United States.
