Philadelphia is a city where the Italian-American influence has been strong for a century, both politically as well, as gastronomically, and Marc Vetri has taken the food back home to its roots. Marc had a life changing experience when he wound up in Bergamo, in the north of Italy, and returned to Philadelphia with a head full of ideas that took Italian food to new heights.
This excerpt is from a longer interview between Vetri and journalist Scott Haas.
After years of working in some the finest kitchens in Italy and the U.S., Chef Marc Vetri returned home to his native Philadelphia, took over the intimate, jewel box townhouse that was once home to the lauded Le Bec Fin. Within two years of opening, Vetri received the Philadelphia Inquirer's highest restaurant rating, and Chef Vetri was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s “Ten Best New Chefs.” In 2005, he won the James Beard Award for "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.” Chef Vetri and Benjamin have gone on to open other celebrated, popular restaurants—Osteria (2007), Amis (2010), Alla Spina (2012), Pizzeria Vetri (2013) and Osteria Moorestown (2013)—however, Vetri will forever remain their flagship.