Cesare Casella is best known as the chef with the rosemary. He is rarely without a small bouquet springing from his pocket, a signature that reflects his dedication to his herb-inflected cuisine, fresh ingredients. When he was growing up in Tuscany, one of Chef Casella’s jobs was helping make the country-cured meats his family’s restaurant was famous for. Today he is plying his craft in the U.S., nurturing American-born pigs into exquisite, cured meat, made the Italian way, through Casella’s Salumi.
He shares his knowledge with Americans as the Dean of Italian Studies at the International Culinary Center and also as Chief of DNA, The Department of Nourishment Arts® at The Center for Discovery, where he works to raise awareness about healthy eating for children and adults with developmental disabilities. He was the founder of some of New York’s best-loved Italian restaurants, including Beppe and Maremma.
Casella is the author of the award-winning Feeding the Heart (2016), the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award nominee, The Fundamentals of Classic Italian Cuisine (2012), True Tuscan (2005), Italian Cooking for Dummies (2002), and Diary of a Tuscan Chef (1998). Casella also contributed to the English edition Gusto, an encyclopedia of Italian food and ingredients (2014).
Casella was voted one of the best chefs in New York City by Food & Wine magazine, and has appeared on hit shows such as “Iron Chef,” “Top Chef,” “Master Chef Australia,” “Best Thing I Ever Ate”and “No Reservations.” He is interviewed regularly in a variety of media outlets.
In 2002, The DaVinci Project is Cesare’s initiative to raise awareness about sustainability and nutrition for residents of The Center for Discovery. Working in collaboration with Thanksgiving Farm in upstate New York, the DaVinci Project brings local, fresh, organic produce to The Center where Chef Casella educates his staff on how to best prepare seasonal, nutritional dishes catered to the well-being of The Center for Discovery’s residents.
In 2004, Chef Casella brought his vision and expertise to the students of The International Culinary Center as its Dean of Italian Studies, designing the curricula for the Italian Culinary Experience — a comprehensive study-abroad training program in Italian cuisine, culture, and language.
In 2005, Chef Casella was selected by the French Culinary Institute to create a new Italian Studies culinary program in New York City and Parma, Italy. Chef Casella designed and created the curriculum for the Italian Studies program, which includes extensive course-work in Italy. As the Dean, Chef Casella keeps the faculty and students apprised of new innovations within Italian cuisine, designs workshops and summits — such as the International Day of Italian Cuisine — and brings renowned chefs to teach and guest lecture at ICC.
In 2012, Ristorante on Madison Avenue is the second New York location for Cesare Casella, the iconic Italian chef with aromatic rosemary sprigs blooming from his pocket. This new location is a traditional, modern, white tablecloth restaurant featuring Chef Casella’s simple, honest, classic Italian cuisine. The restaurant offers a salumi counter for guests to take home fine Italian produce as well as a sit-down dining area with a full menu for both lunch and dinner. The interior of Ristorante is designed by Oscar award-winning set designer, Dante Ferretti and it evokes memories of ancient Pompeiian villas.
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