Mention Domenica, the Italian restaurant at the recently-revamped Roosevelt Hotel on Canal Street, to most New Orleanians, they'll say "that's the new John Besh place, isn't it?"
That's sort of accurate, but doesn't tell the whole picture. This article in Restaurants and Institutions magazine explains that it's really Alon Shaya's place:
Shaya clearly has learned a lot in his 30 years. Born in Israel, he and his family immigrated to Philadelphia when he was four. His mother cooked Israeli and Mediterranean foods and all around him were Italian foods. When he began working in restaurants at age 16, it was at Italian concepts, and he continued to hone his pasta skills at trattorias in Las Vegas and St. Louis before arriving to New Orleans. He spent several years as a chef at Besh Steak, a steakhouse in the city's Harrah's casino, and he and Besh talked about their shared passion for Italian cuisine and their shared desire to open a restaurant that could celebrate regional, rustic Italian dishes.
The article's a good read. I like how it describes Besh as Shaya's "chef-restaurateur-mentor."
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