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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