Food Seen: Ruschmeyer's Chef, Dan's Taste Weekend & More

This week in the East End “Food Seen,” we get to know Chef Salvatore Olivella of Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk; dig in to the big Dan’s Taste weekend, starting with Dan’s GrillHampton Presented by Piccinini Bros on Friday, August 20, followed by Dan’s Taste of Two Forks on Saturday, August 21; check out some new Baranda Restaurant; and more foodie fun!

Chef Highlight: Salvatore Olivella, Ruschmeyer’s

Chef Salvatore Olivella is the executive chef at Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk, bringing over 20 years of international culinary experience to the Hamptons. Born in Naples, Italy, Olivella grew up with a deep appreciation and love for Italian cuisine. He has distinguished himself among the great pizza connoisseurs through passion, dedication, creative originality and, above all, adoration for his country and its rich produce.

Despite growing up in Naples, Chef Olivella has become a master of the New York pizza scene, opening over 20 renowned gourmet pizza restaurants, including Rosso Pomodoro, DUMBO House by Soho House, Le Bilboquet and, most recently, The Montauk Beach House. For several of the restaurants, he designed and built brick ovens. In Dallas, he created a family-owned, influential chain of pizzerias named Olivella’s Neo Pizza Napoletana and subsequently launched the one-of-a-kind Olivella’s pizza trucks. In addition, he has developed a proud partnership with Loews Regency New York where he introduced two exclusive pizzas made with charcoal crust. He has also partnered with the Union Square Hospitality Group’s Marta, where they continue to celebrate the Italian tradition of baking pizzas with crackly crusts.

Olivella consistently coordinates and prepares exclusively gourmet events, catering and banquets for notable celebrities, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. His industry innovation and success in the culinary world have earned him critical acclaim and incredible exposure—he won the Best Traditional Pizza in the Northwest at the 2015 International Pizza Expo.

At Ruschmeyer’s, Chef Olivella provides Mediterranean-Italian cuisine and authentic Italian pizza made the old-fashioned way, the true Italian way. He continuously applies his admirable devotion and zeal, innovative techniques and high-quality ingredients to the menu at Ruschmeyer’s.

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Par-taaaay! Last minute tix are still available for Dan’s GrillHampton, which takes place next Friday, August 20, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Nova’s Ark in Water Mill. It’s the Hamptons vs. New York City! Eight New York City chefs, including Mike Rosati from Shake Shack, Mike Puma from Gotham Burger Social Club and Jase Franklyn from Jase’s’ BBQ, will go head-to-head against eight East End chefs in the tastiest showdown of the summer. East End contestants include Matty Boudreau and Rob Shawger of Pig Beach, Peter Ambrose of Events by Peter Ambrose and Robert Hamburg from Gurney’s in Montauk. Guests will be served samples of the chef’s dishes while sipping on cocktails, wine and beer, then everyone votes on their favorite dish of the night while celebrity judges ultimately choose which team—Hamptons or New York City—will win the overall competition. Dan’s GrillHampton is presented by Piccinini Bros and Corona this year. Snag your tickets, on sale for only $99, at squadup.com/events/dans-grillhampton-session-2!

Par-taaaay Part 2! Last-minute tickets are also still available to Dan’s Taste of Two Forks which takes place on Saturday, August 21. Celebrating its 10th year, Dan’s Taste brings together the best restaurants and wineries from the North Fork and South Fork—it’s arguably the premier food and wine celebration of the season. Top chefs and winemakers will serve up the best bites and drinks on the East End, along with specialty spirits and cocktails, great beers and more. Notable chefs include: Bob Abrams of Calissa, Mike Jeanty of Claudio’s, The Halyard’s Stephan Bogardus and Scott Kampf from Union Sushi & Steak. It also takes place at Nova’s Ark, and tickets are selling FAST! Check out squadup.com/events/dans-taste-of-two-forks-session-1 for tickets and buy now, as this event always sells out!

New restaurant alert! Baranda Restaurant in Southampton is a locally-owned and family-operated New American cuisine restaurant located on County Road 39 (aka Route 27). They’re in-between Stony Brook University’s Southampton campus and the Southampton Golf Club—same shopping center as Bottle Hampton. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, have a wood-fired pizza oven and also serve rotisserie chicken. Appetizers include mussels fra diavolo, golden beets salad, slab bacon, prime meatballs and broiled octopus, and range in price from $14–$23. Entrees, such as a prime burger, rotisserie chicken, Berkshire pork chop, New York strip loin and veal scaloppini range in price from $21–$42. One can also find seafood (branzino, organic salmon, crab cakes) and several pastas (pappardelle arrabbiata, lasagna, ravioli, risotto, fusilli with sausage or squid ink pasta with shrimp). Sides are $9, and all desserts are $11. There’s a beverage menu with specialty cocktails, beer and wine by the glass. They’re open daily, so call 631-353-3123 or visit barandarestaurantsh.com for reservations and takeout. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Rosie’s Amagansett offers house-made ice cream and now has exotic flavors such as golden sesame, strawberry rhubarb swirl and roasted marshmallow. How good is their ice cream? Owner Christina Isaly’s great-great-grandfather invented the Klondike Bar!

Wölffer Estate Vineyard winemaker Roman Roth is organizing a week-long wine tasting and culinary tour of the Rhone River Valley in France from March 24 to March 31 in 2022. Roth will hold court on a river cruise aboard the 156-passenger AmaKristina that begins in Avignon and ends in Lyon. When Roman speaks about wine, listen—his wines are poured at the White House! The fee starts at $3,448 and includes meals, wine and tours but does not include airfare. For more signup information, visit toursandwine.com.

Did You Know: Many culinary world celebrities dine at Bostwick’s Chowder House in East Hampton, so keep an eye out for top chefs such as Bobby Flay or Alex Guarnaschelli.

Quote of the Week: “The disparity between a restaurant’s price and food quality rises in direct proportion to the size of the pepper mill.” ~ Bryan Miller, former New York Times restaurant critic

Got a restaurant news item or tip? Email us at dansfoodseen@gmail.com!