After many years spent working the nightclub circuit in Charleston, Jo Meli grew tired of the grueling lifestyle. He longed to open a smaller establishment with more manageable hours, and with his Boston upbringing, he sorely missed good Italian food. He thought of Davide Davino as the most natural choice and the ideal man to share his vision of a small, family style Italian restaurant where customers are treated like friends, encouraged to peek inside the kitchen to chat with the chef and ask questions, and place personal requests should they experience a special hankering. Meli and the rest of the staff clearly accomplished this goal, as certain regulars have gone so far as to bring their own homemade sauce into the kitchen for the chef to taste and critique, often lingering for hours over dessert and homemade Limoncello in the cozy dining room surrounded by racks of Italian wine as the soft glow of candlelight casts shadow across the buttery colored walls.
Jo and Davide first crossed paths approximately ten years ago through the Charleston culinary scene, where Jo came to believe in Davide's special talent. Authentic Italian cooking is Davide's birthright and a passion for culinary excellence runs through his veins. As a small boy growing up in Naples, Italy, he was raised in the restaurant business. As a boy he observed his mother, Michela, in the kitchen preparing family favorites like Eggplant Parmesan and Fritto Misto for the traditional Sunday dinner. By the age of fifteen he was working at his uncle's restaurant, tasting sauces, learning about flavors and slowly perfecting his own unique style. Davide's uncle still owns a thriving restaurant in Naples and will soon be featured as the guest chef at Cuoco Pazzo for a private dinner later this summer, when approximately 45 family members and friends will come together to enjoy a very special array of Napoli delights. Two things are certain: Italian wine will flow like water and waves of laughter will fill the cozy establishment as dusk fades into night and the golden hue of candlelight descends upon the dining room like a warm winter blanket.
Davide first considered Charleston as a potential destination after a friend from Naples, who also worked in the restaurant business, settled in the lowcountry. However his life took him in a different direction first. His uncle back in Naples had a friend at Marino Ristorante in Los Angeles where Davide spent 6 years cooking for the rich and famous, offering a taste of his Naples heritage to the likes of Joe Pesci, Sylvester Stallone and Mickey Rourke. In the likely event that you should catch Davide for a tableside chat (Davide and Carlo emerge from the kitchen periodically to mingle with the customers), be sure to ask him about his boxing matches with Mickey Rourke back in Los Angeles. Jo Meli, who appears to have enormous respect for Davide, commented on how the veal at Cuoco Pazzo is so tender you can cut it with a spoon. Meli joked, "Davide used to spar with Micki Rourke; now he beats up on the veal."
Davide left Los Angeles in 2005 to settle in the lowcountry, where he soon crossed paths with another friend from Naples by the name of Carlo Colella. It is amazing how fate works. As boys Davide and Carlo rode motorcycles together back in Naples. Now years later, they are a professional team bringing a taste of their homeland to the Charleston community. If you had the chance to read my previous column, you are probably aware that Carlo is the second "crazy chef" and culinary talent behind the scenes at Cuoco Pazzo. Carlo started cooking at the age of 18 and also learned the business from family- mainly a cousin who had a restaurant in Naples. He moved to Charleston in 1996 and found work at Bella Napoli on Dorchester Road in North Charleston, where he worked together with Davide for a year before heading back home to his family in Italy. He returned to Charleston in 1999, the same year as Davide, and took a job at La Fontana on Sam Rittenberg in West Ashley. However his time there was short lived and he left town again before finally settling back down in Charleston in 2007. Carlo is accompanied by his wife, Melinda, who is a friendly and attentive waitress at Cuoco Pazzo.
When I asked Jo Meli about his experience working with Davide and Carlo, he could not say enough positive things about the two men. He spoke of their strong Italian work ethic, claiming that he has to literally force them to take a day off. "They come in the morning, prep, leave for a short time, then come back and work until closing time. Watching them work in the kitchen is like watching a well choreographed ballet," Meli stated. When I inquired with Davide and Carlo about the secret to good Italian cooking, they spoke of the virtues of "fresh ingredients", "simplicity", "old style", and "real Italian". According to Carlo, the true secret to an authentic Italian dish is "finding someone who knows how to make it."
On my most recent visit to Cuoco Pazzo, I actually tasted Zucchini for the first time in my life. This is not to say I have never eaten Zucchini, because I have, but I have never really tasted Zucchini. I have always found zucchini to be soggy, flavorless and quite frankly, a waste of time and space. That is, until I tasted Zucchini so delicious that I still crave the stuff. It was sliced paper thin, marinated in olive oil and spices and sautéed to a golden brown. I would return to Cuoco Pazzo for a plate of sautéed zucchini and a glass of Montepulciano, not to mention the other fine dishes that landed on my table- tender veal and fresh asparagus sautéed in a lemon butter sauce, chicken with sliced mushrooms, and pasta with a perfect Carbonara sauce. The sautéed pancetta is present but not overpowering and the dish is creamy and smooth, rich but not overly heavy, with a subtle kick of peppercorn to balance out the flavor.
For dessert, I simply cannot get past the sinfully rich gelato, which sends me right back to age twenty one, standing in the middle of a crowded marketplace in Rome in the blistering summer heat with a spoonful of pure heaven melting on my tongue. Yes, certain flavors and aromas certainly can conjure up powerful memories. At Cuoco Pazzo, two hard working chefs are here to share their own treasured memories of a Napoli heritage; a heritage rich with warm family gatherings and colorful plates overflowing with mouth watering delights created from years of tradition and a whole lot of love.
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