PAGE 18 ITALIAN AMERICAN DIGEST SUMMER 2018
From exploring the Mississippi in the 18th century to sitting behind the mayor ’ s desk three centuries later , Italians have always been part of the fabric of the Crescent City . As we look to the future of New Orleans , we see Italians leading the way in business , medicine , law , culinary arts , public service , and philanthropy . The future is Italian !
Michael Gulotta
Chef Partner , MOPHO and Maypop Restaurants
Born and raised in New Orleans , Michael Gulotta , 37 , began cooking in local restaurants at a young age . After graduating from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute , he joined the newly opened Restaurant August . Gulotta then took leave to train
The Future Is Italian !
Young Italian Americans Making Their Mark in NOLA
Michael Gulotta
in the Italian Riviera and Germany ’ s Black Forest .
When Hurricane Katrina hit , Michael returned home to help rebuild and assist with August ’ s re-opening . He was named Chef de Cuisine in 2007 and led the award-winning kitchen for six years , while establishing relationships with local farmers and purveyors .
Michael opened his first restaurant , MOPHO , in 2014 with his brother Jeffrey Gulotta and high school friend Jeffrey Bybee . Located in New Orleans ’ Mid City , MOPHO strives to be a true neighborhood restaurant and a destination for Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine utilizing the Louisiana pantry . In its first year MOPHO was nominated for America ’ s Best New Restaurant by Bon Appétit magazine and named Restaurant of the Year by New Orleans magazine . In 2016 , Michael was named one of Top 30 Chefs to Watch in the nation by Plate magazine , a New Orleans Rising Star by Starchefs , and a Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine .
His team recently opened its second full-service restaurant , Maypop , in the Central Business District . Maypop has been named a Top 5
Best New Restaurant by the Times Picayune and a Best New Restaurant by New Orleans magazine .
What ’ s your favorite Italian food ?
Brucciloni with capelli di angelo pasta or n ’ casciata with anise sausage or zuppa inglese gelato . Biscotti Regina aren ’ t bad either . ( I hate picking favorites .)
What ’ s your favorite place in New Orleans ? That ’ s a hard one , but my mom always brought me to Liuzza ’ s on Bienville when I was a kid , so I gotta go with that one . Fried eggplant poboy with red gravy , fried pickles , and onion rings , Barq ’ s root beer .
Have you been to Italy ?
Are we talking Italy or Sicily because the Italians and the Sicilians don ’ t always speak kindly of each other . In fact , when I lived in Italy , all of my co-workers were kind enough to point out that I was not an Italian-American but a Sicilian- America , very different things in their minds . I lived on the coast of Liguria working in a small restaurant on the beach but also traveled all throughout , and down through Sicily . There are so many wonderful memories . Most of them center around dining . Dining on risotto nero on the coast overlooking the Mediterranean , or enjoying veal agnolotti and ripe figs with prosecco in the hills of Piemonte looking out on the vineyards . In Sicily it was thick-crust pizza with sunny side up eggs baked into the top while lounging in the Piazza IV Aprile in Toarmina .
What are your hopes for the city ’ s future ?
Hmm .. Another tough question . New Orleans is such a great city because it keeps the best parts of every culture that lands at its port . I hope we continue to be the welcoming and ever-evolving melting pot we ’ ve always been . I hope we honor our history and culture while continuing to let it grow and change . I hope our city hall gets its act together , and our streets and pumps get fixed . I hope we invest more money in our city ’ s future , in its infrastructure , and in its ability to keep bringing wonderful , colorful , bright people to its fold . But I want it to stay a little grimy and funky too .
Marie Guevara
Chef / Owner , Aglio Neighborhood Deli & Bar
Chef Marie , 31 , is a proud granddaughter of both Latin and Italian families with strong food cultures . She grew up cooking and baking alongside both of her grandmothers and learned so many valuable lessons from them about work ethic ,
Marie Guevara cooking from scratch , and most importantly , hospitality . After graduating from the University of New Orleans with a bachelor ’ s in Hospitality Business Administration , Marie had the opportunity to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris , where she completed a Grande Diplome in both pastry and savory cuisines .
Upon returning to New Orleans , Marie became the pastry sous chef at Stella ! and after its unfortunate closure was welcomed as the pastry chef at Bayona . After her time there , she returned to ROOT , the restaurant that had trained her before she attended culinary school . There she was acting pastry chef but also got an education in butchery and curing meats . When the company expanded to open Part & Parcel in the newly constructed South Market District , Marie signed on as the sous chef of the downtown deli . After a year of running the restaurant with then chef de cuisine Michael Mericle , the two were given the opportunity to purchase the business . They changed the name to Aglio ( which means garlic in Italian ) to reflect their shared Italian heritage and celebrate the deli menu they create from scratch daily .
What ’ s your favorite Italian food ? My favorite Italian food is cuccidati , which is an Italian fig cookie that I used to make with my Sicilian grandma twice a year for St . Joseph ’ s Day and Christmas . They ’ re beautiful to look at with their rainbow sprinkles coating the tops of irregularly shaped stuffed cookies glazed in dripping royal icing . The filling is a mixture of dried fruits , figs , brandied cherries , and toasted nuts , and they remind me of family with every bite . At Aglio , we serve cuccidati year-round so that no one has to wait for Christmastime or a St . Joseph ’ s Day altar to enjoy them !
What ’ s your favorite place in New Orleans ?
My favorite place in New Orleans is the garden inside the walls of the old Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter . When I was cooking at Stella ! we were fortunate enough to be given access to use of the garden for all of our daily preparations . The garden is varied and beautiful , and the Archdiocese of New Orleans still maintains it to this day to be an historic reminder of the nuns who created it .
Have you been to Italy ?
I ’ ve been lucky enough to have been to several places in Italy , and each one was magical . It ’ s hard to pick a favorite , but one of my most treasured memories was when I traveled to Verona ( the same one from Romeo and Juliet ), and we went to an opera in a 1st century old amphitheater in the piazza . It was extremely uncomfortable because it was all old stones and we had to buy cushions to sit on ! It was so cool , though , because you could pack a picnic of wine , cheese , bread , etc . Everything about it was absolutely beautiful and almost surreal . The show was breathtaking , and we felt like we were part of history .
What are your hopes for the city ’ s future ?
My hopes for the future of New Orleans are numbered . I love our city so much and we have all come a long way collectively , but there is still much work to be done . I feel like my biggest hope would be to continue on the path of locally grown and sourced food so that it becomes much more accessible and affordable for everyone . I ’ d like for any family in any neighborhood to have access to fresh produce and locally raised livestock rather than it being an expensive or luxury market . I feel like if we can all learn to grown more of our own herbs and vegetables , and share them with neighbors , the city would be a healthier and happier place for everyone .