NEW YORK - Chef Salvo Lo Castro, who worked as a cook at the Vatican for a decade, has opened Casasalvo Restaurant in SoHo -- his first restaurant in New York City, according to Secret NYC and The New York Post.
What we know:
The restaurant fuses Mediterranean and Italian flavors, a nod to Chef Lo Castro's Catanian hertiage. He began cooking professionally at the age of 12 in his hometown of Catania, Italy, an ancient port city on Siciliy's east coast.
He later trained at the Giovanni Falcone Institute in Italy before serving both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Diners can even try some of the meals he served the religious leaders -- his mother's meatballs and his namesake fettuccine Casasalvo are both available at his new eatery.
"Every pope is a normal person," Chef Lo Castro told The Post. "Though while John Paul was very charismatic, for me the best was Benedict. He was an incredible man. His eyes were magnetic, and his voice, to me, was God in the world." Pope Benedict served as pope from 2005 to 2013.
In addition to serving former popes, Chef Lo Castro has extensive experience working in 5-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, as well. He's also cooked for celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise, as well as the Saudi royal family and Mummar Gaddafi. In 2008, he was in the kitchen during a summit on Sardinia between then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Next month, he's expected to cook for Leonardo DiCaprio and Roger Federer, a Swiss former tennis player, at an event he's prepping for Rolex.
"For me, it doesn't matter if I'm cooking for a pope, president or ordinary person," Chef Lo Castro added. "Every man I cook for is a king, and every woman I cook for is a queen."
Chef Lo Castro also owns a chain of espresso bars on the Upper East and Upper West Sides, known for pricing each drink on the menu at just $2.50.
"The secret is I prepare everything with my heart, OK?" Chef Lo Castro told The Post. "The restaurant is my home, and the people who dine with me aren't clients -- they're guests who come to my home."
What you can do:
Reservations can be made to Casasalvo Restaurant on OpenTable or via email: [email protected].