Meet the Chef: Silvio Vitiello of Limoncello

A few weeks ago, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi called Limoncello in Mamaroneck to make a Friday night dinner reservation. Asked how many people were in his party, he replied "ninety."  Then the Yankee skipper asked if his guests could order whatever they wished a la carte from the menu. The reservationist checked this request with the kitchen and informed Girardi, "The chef says that is not a problem." The chef was Silvio Vitiello. That Friday evening, he prepared about 200 dinners.

Vitiello has worked at restaurants since he was in high school, when he took an after-school job at Venice Restaurant in The Bronx, owned by a cousin. His parents were not in the restaurant business but they were very knowledgeable about food. His mother Assunto gave her son a family recipe for arancini learned from her mother who lived in Ponza, Italy.  It would one day become his signature dish. Arancini is Sicilian-style rice balls made with Arborio rice, ground beef, peas, saffron, red wine and mozzarella.

Vitiello's father Gaetano, a construction worker, loved to cook Tuscan style  - one of his favorite dishes was grilled fresh sardines and octopus with fava beans. He kept a vegetable garden, made a tasty tomato sauce and pressed grapes to make wine.

Vitiello got a break at the age of 22 after working for seven years in non-cooking jobs at restaurants in The Bronx, including two years at Villa Barone. Emma Galano, owner of Louie's Seafood, gave Vitiello a chance to work in her kitchen under a chef trained in Milan. The chef was willing to share many secrets with Vitiello, and he eventually advanced to sous chef and stayed for ten years.

Next he moved to sunny Florida to work first at Zuccarello's in Boca Raton and then at Little Italy in Coral Springs. But after two years in South Florida, Vitiello returned to New York to head the kitchen at Dante's River View Ristorante in Peekskill. Here, he introduced salmon picotta to the menu.  Made with baby artichokes and capers and served in a white wine lemon sauce, it became the restaurant's most popular dish. A version of it currently appears on the menu at Limoncello.

The auditions in 2009 for the Limoncello chef's position were conducted in the kitchen at Mulino's, a popular White Plains restaurant.  

"I cooked three dishes at the time," says Vitiello. "I forgot to bring my resume but I got the job on the spot."

Pollo scarapariello, priced at $21, is the most popular dish at Limoncello, says Vitiello, but salmon picotta is a close second. The pollo scarpariello is prepared with boneless chicken tenderloins sauteed with sausage, cherry peppers, French capers, lemon juice and rosemary in a white wine sauce. It costs $22. A dish similar to salmon picotta but stuffed with crabmeat and accompanied by mango relish is available on occasion as a special. Arancini, served only as an appetizer, cost $12. Osso bucco appears as a special from time to time. Given a week notice, Vitiello will prepare pheasant, rabbit, boar or quail to order.

Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur. It is used as an ingredient in the preparation of two drinks at the restaurant - a flavored martini and an after-dinner drink.

The restaurant is a favorite destination of figures from the sports world and Vitiello has prepared meals for National Basketball Association all-star Charles Oakley, New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni and bowling champion Patrick Allen. James Tisch, CEO of Loews Corp., is a frequent diner  at Limoncello. During his career, Vitiello has also cooked for actor Richard Gere, Academy Award winning actress Faye Dunaway, WNBC news anchor Chuck Scarborough and Rockefeller family members.

The restaurant has seating on two levels and two bright yellow awnings in front that make it easy to spot while driving along Route 1. It opened in September 2009.

Limoncello is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday and Sunday, and open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. It is located at 974 E. Boston Post Rd. in Mamaroneck, www.limoncellony.com.  914-630-2311.