FOOD
VERINDER CARUSO:
LET THE INGREDIENTS SPEAK
FOR THEMSELVES
MARKETPLACE WITH A VIEW Eataly’s downtown outpost
is part of Lower Manhattan’s post-9/11 revitalization.
40 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2016
COURTESY OF EATALY
After spending the last 20 of her 50 years
working for the family truck and trailer distribution business, Verinder Caruso was ready
for a change. So she attended the Institute of
Culinary Education in Manhattan, and interned
in the evening at Eataly, the giant Italian marketplace on Fifth Avenue. There, she rose from
prepping food to working as a sous chef at
Pranzo, Eataly’s lunchtime restaurant that each
month features cuisine from a different region
of Italy.
Last summer, Caruso transferred to Eataly’s
new downtown location, and was asked to
manage five quick service outlets that between
them serve salad, rotisserie chicken and prime
ribs, Panini, cheese and cured meats. She was also
tasked with creating high-quality takeout dishes
incorporating the recipes of chefs and business
partners Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich.
“We don’t do anything out of a jar,” she says.
“Everything is fresh. I see what translates from
ala minute cooking to what you could take
home with you.”
Caruso applies the same considerations when
cooking for her Eataly clientele that she does
when preparing food for family and friends.
“You respect the ingredients, and let them
speak for themselves,” she says. “Once you
have the right ones, you don’t have to fuss with
them. I would rather pay more for vegetables
you can simply roast with olive oil, marinate or
cut without trying to dress them up.” For a nice
holiday meal, she says, she might brine a chicken for 40 minutes and roast it, accompanying it
with a side of potatoes served with olive oil and
herbs. Cheese can be shaved on top of simple
salads at the last minute.
“Food speaks to who you are,” she says,
while admitting to an unconscious affinity for
plating green, white and red foods together.
“Zucchini, tomatoes and mozzarella, or beets,
arugula and ricotta di salata,” she says. “I
automatically do it all the time. I married a
Brooklyn Italian, but since I studied cooking,
it’s become more organic.” ➤