Marco Canora, New York

If you love wine bars, small bites, and comforting Italian food, it doesn’t get better than Canora. This Italian—dare we say, stallion—runs one of the most authentic Italian restaurants in New York, Hearth, along with a slew of Terroir wine bars around the city. The James Beard Award-winning chef has worked under some of the biggest names in New York's food scene, including Tom Colicchio, and consistently travels to Italy to keep honing his culinary roots. (Check out his favorite way to burn off those Italian meals—it's one of our favorites too.)

Date-night dinner: Linguine and clams, definitely.

Favorite way to sweat: Yoga!

Food splurge: The spicy soppressata pizza at Motorino. I go by myself and inhale the whole thing.


Never having received any formal culinary training, Marco Canora learned to approach cooking with both passion and resourcefulness by working alongside his Tuscan mother and aunt. It was in their kitchens that Canora began to pay close attention to the use of the freshest, seasonal ingredients. He also learned how simple vegetables and herbs from his aunt’s garden could be translated into a wide variety of flavorful dishes. Years later, while he was a sous chef at Gramercy Tavern, Canora decided to learn more about the roots of his family’s cuisine and traveled to Florence, Italy, where he apprenticed at Fabbio Picchi’s renowned Cibreo.

Although when Marco signed on to be the chef at Craft, it represented a big step forward in his culinary career, he had received accolades for his talents in the kitchen since the late 1990s. As the executive chef and owner of La Cucina, a 60-seat restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard, Canora was something of a local celebrity – cooking for then-President Bill Clinton and his friends, and cooking food that was widely known as the best on the island. As Canora’s role as chef at Craft continued to expand, he kept La Cucina up and running.

As a testament to Canora's energy and vision, Colicchio gave him full reign over Craftbar, Craft’s more casual sibling. At Craftbar, Canora translated his family recipes into contemporary classics. The results garnered praise from Jonathan Reynolds and Maura Egan of The New York Times Magazine among many others.

With years of cooking and management experience under his belt, Canora decided it was time to open his own restaurant where “the goal,” he says, “is to create beautifully composed dishes with an emphasis on quality and simplicity.” Canora does just that at Hearth, which he opened with former beverage and service director of Gramercy Tavern, Paul Grieco, in November 2004. Their unique, seasonal wine list features many international and national selections, while Canora relies on local, seasonal ingredients to create such stand-out dishes as red snapper crudo, roasted quail, braised veal breast and roasted cod. The duo opened Terroir wine bar in 2008. Two years later, they opened a Tribeca location of Terroir

Hearth
403 East 12th Street
New York, NY 10009
(646) 602-1300
www.restauranthearth.com
formerly of Gramercy Tavern
42 East 20th Street
New York, NY 10003
www.grammercytavern.com

StarChefs: Why did you start cooking? What or who inspired you to become a chef?
Marco Canora: I cooked as a child with my mom and aunt. My family’s from Luca. I grew up in the Hudson Valley. We had a huge garden. It gave me a huge advantage when I started cooking as a career. In high school I got a job in a restaurant washing dishes, then I moved up to pots, then garde manger.

SC: Did you attend culinary school? Why or why not? Would you recommend culinary school to aspiring chefs today?
MC: I didn’t go to culinary school. I went to business school. I’m not very impressed with culinary grads. A year stage produces better workers.

SC: Can you talk about your mentors?
MC: Fabio Picchi of Cibrao in Florence. He taught me the concept of deep, layered flavors. It’s not about foams and jelly; it’s about wholesome good food. Tom Collichio helped me learn to look at the business end of it.

SC: Are there any secret ingredients that you especially like? Why?
MC: Preserved lemon helps any dish: fish, meat. The ultimate condiment is a spicey olive oil—young and peppery. The kind that burns the back of your throat.

SC: What is your most indispensable kitchen tool? Why?
MC: A stainless steel food-mill. It’s the most universal tool.

SC: Is there a culinary technique that you have either created or use in an unusual way? Please describe.
MC: I put all my fish scraps through the food-mill and create an unbelievable fish puree that I use on my crudo plates. Also the use of soffrito in unusual ways.

SC: What is your favorite question to ask during an interview for a potential new line cook?
MC: I always do a trial where I access knife skills and fundamentals. Line cooks are tough to find.

SC: What tips would you offer young chefs just getting started?
MC: You better be prepared to work a lot: 70 hours a week. Realize it is about sacrifice. Saying no to friends and family. It’s a big commitment. Forget sports. There’s no time.

SC: What cities do you like for culinary travel?
MC: Tokyo. I’ve been there twice. They have a respect for their food that doesn’t exist anywhere else. They appreciate subtlety and quality. Also Florence. I love the freshness, the artisan producers.

SC: What are your favorite restaurants in New York?
MC: Al di La in Brooklyn. Café Boulud: there wasn’t a foam or micro-green on the plate. It was incredibly satisfying; what food should be. Bar Piti for their veal meatballs, bread soup.

SC: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years?
MC: Dead! Burnt-out. This is a slippery stone. I’d like to have more restaurants. I love the excitement of creating new concepts, new restaurants.

http://www.starchefs.com/cook/interview/interview-chef-marco-canora-hearth-new-york-ny