INGOOD TASTE
Eric Delliquadri, Executive Chef, Gia Visto
Candid conversations with the dining scene’ s most engaging chefs
Gia Visto 4366 Old William Penn Highway, Monroeville; 412.374.1800, giavistomonroeville. com
On the Menu: Modern Italian cuisine mixed with traditional dishes. Choices range from spaghetti and meatballs to more modern fare, including whole Branzino( or Mediterranean Sea Bass) with ramp pesto and Gnocchi Al Forno with nduja and Calabrian peppers.
Why did you become a chef? I was actually pursuing a career
Q A in forensic psychology and preparing to apply to graduate
programs. However, I was always intrigued with food and cooking, and I made a crucial decision to forego graduate school and go to culinary school instead. Both my grandmothers and my mom were great cooks, as well as bakers too, so food was always a part of my life. And, it’ s worked out just fine.
What led you to work at Gia Visto? My first job after graduating from the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts was at Longue Vue Country Club in Verona. That’ s where I met Jill Varmecky— one of the owners at Gia Visto and a great chef as well. Following my departure from Longue Vue, I worked at a few different restaurants around Pittsburgh. Jill called me about working at a small place called La Cucina Dolce where she was the GM. After a few years we both left at different times. Then I received another call from her in the winter of 2011. She was buying La Cucina Dolce( renamed Gia Visto) and she wanted me to be the chef. That’ s how we got the band back together again. I’ ve been chef at Gia Visto since we opened in February of 2012.
Who has influenced your cooking the most? The chef I worked under during my externship while in school really set my whole outlook on respecting food and having a passion for food. His name is Matthew Medure. His restaurant is Matthew’ s in San Marco in Jacksonville, FL. He really taught me how to push the boundaries of the culinary arts. I’ m always checking out what other chefs are doing around the city, and country as well. Most of my vacations are centered on trying cuisine from that particular city’ s best restaurants.
What kitchen tool can’ t you live without? I could say something off the wall like a chinois( mesh strainer) or a microplane zester, but it has to be my knives. How can a chef be a chef with no knives?
What is your best cooking advice for a novice? It would have to be taste what you are cooking, taste what you are cooking, taste what you are cooking. You have to develop your palate and the only way to do that is to constantly taste everything.
What is your favorite quick meal to prepare at home? I don’ t cook much at home, much to my wife Laura’ s dismay, but usually my go-to meal is tomato sauce and pasta.
Other than your restaurant, where’ s your favorite place to eat? For pasta we go to Cenacolo in Irwin. We’ ve also been getting into regional Asian places,
Eric Delliquadri, Executive Chef, Gia Visto.
The Skuna Bay Salmon made with braised garbanzo beans and tuscan kale, smoked paprika and fennel.
like Ramen Bar, a couple of Szechuan places in Squirrel Hill, and we just went to a great shabushabu place in South Oakland called Top Shabu- Shabu and Lounge.
What is your favorite go-to ingredient? Garlic, olives, citrus and mint usually make their way into most of the dishes I create.
Photos provided by Gia Visto.
The dining room at Gia Visto.
What’ s the next big food or dining trend? I think the less overexposed cuisines are going to become more popular, like Israeli or Persian. It seems that street food in a restaurant setting is starting to build momentum. n
— Reese Randall
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