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Interview with Chef Odette Fada
Of
Tony May’s San Domenico NY
www.sandomeniconewyork.com
sandomny@aol.com
240 Central Park South
New York, NY 10019
212.265.5959
Proprietors: Tony May and Marisa May
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
March 5, 2007
I sat down with Chef Odette Fada of Tony May’s San Domenico NY today, after dining for almost three years in this elegant Italian restaurant on New York’s Central Park South. Chef Fada grew up in Brescia, Italy, about 80 miles north of Milan. At the age of 13, she was fortunate to attend the local Culinary Institute, and, while working as a cook on Largo di Garda, she also studied three foreign languages, English, French, and German (She now speaks Spanish, additionally). Then she discovered the Italian cuisine of the United States, having visited a cousin in L.A. 18 years ago. Over the course of several years, Chef Fada alternated between building her career as a chef in Orvieto, outside Rome, and at Rex Il Ristorante in L.A.
While in L.A., Chef Fada met Tony May, who was a friend of the L.A. restaurateur, Mauro Vincenti, and she received an invitation to be Chef of San Domenico NY. Chef Fada agreed to the offer and has happily managed Tony May’s restaurant kitchen and staff for the past 11 years. Chef Fada buys only the freshest and purest ingredients, sometimes shopping for native Italian spices and vegetables at Chelsea Market’s Buon Italia in Union Square. Her fresh fish is delivered daily, seven days/week, such as Chilean sea bass and Sicilian shrimp, which live in the Mediterranean, are colored a bright red, and are softer and sweeter than most restaurant shrimp.
Chef Fada cooks her dishes naturally in their own juices, not adding too many different flavors. Her “pasta pomodoro” is made with fresh Sicilian oregano, right off the stalk, and she likes to cook with fresh saffron, black pepper, and herbs. She and her kitchen staff make their own pasta every day, such as ravioli, spaghetti, tagliarini, and linguini. This month, Tony May’s San Domenico NY is celebrating a Risotto Festival, with four different types of risotto rice: Aquerello, Arborio, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano. The risotto rices are differentiated by superfine vs. semi-fine, some aged more than others. Chef Fada uses traditional recipes as well as her own improvisations to create four different dishes for each of the four types of rice. Chef Fada creates traditional and original Italian cakes and desserts, and even the sorbets are natural, made from pure juices and natural purees.
From March 16-25, 2007, San Domenico’s kitchen will be led by a visiting chef from Rome, Salvatore Tassa, who will share responsibilities and recipes with Chef Fada, to create the Week of Roman Cuisine. (Reserve early). Tony May’s San Domenico NY is near Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Broadway theatres, and City Center. Say hello to Stefano or Marisa May, and tell them you saw them on RobertaOnTheArts.com.
Chef Odette Fada in Her Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
San Domenico NY Kitchen Staff
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
San Domenico NY Kitchen Staff
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Fresh Ravioli Prepared for the Oven
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Fresh Ravioli Prepared for the Oven
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Handmade Pasta Prepared in the Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Handmade Pasta Prepared in the Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Handmade Pasta Prepared in the Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
San Domenico NY Kitchen Staff
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Tiramisu in Progress
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Roberta's Arborio Risotto with Chicory and Fava Beans
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Chef Odette Fada at Leisure in the Dining Room
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
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