With both parents graduates of The Culinary Institute of America, Iron Chef Marc Forgione and his siblings ate the best home-cooked meals. The Forgione’s spaghetti and meatballs were vastly different than the canned Chef Boyardee served at Marc’s friend’s house. “The mom called my mom kind of angry and said, ‘Come and get your son. Apparently, my food isn’t good enough for him,’” recalls Marc.
This passion for food runs deep within the family DNA. “Cooking gets into your blood,” says patriarch Larry Forgione, the James Beard award-winning chef, and Godfather of American Cuisine. “The thing about cooking is learning through osmosis. Just surround yourself smelling it, tasting it, feeling it, helping out.”
As a child, Larry spent time at his grandmother’s farm on Long Island, where he learned about fresh ingredients. This experience influenced his legendary career at renowned eateries around the world, opening the three-star New York Times rated An American Place, originating the entire farm-to-table movement and co-founding the CIA’s Conservatory for American Food Studies in Napa Valley, California.
Memory lane: Forgiones at James Beard House (ph Jane Miller)
When Larry’s kids gathered at his farm in Napa—all four now work in the food industry—they spent time cooking on a wood fire grill, making pesto, fresh pasta, fresh pizza, and gnocchi. It was this Tuscan-vibe that sparked the idea for an Italian eatery. Marc, owner of his namesake restaurant in TriBeCa, fanned the flames in January when he took over the rustic-NoLIta Italian restaurant Peasant. He was hitting his stride there until it was forced to close because of COVID-19, although he’s highly optimistic about its reopening.
Since relocating back to Long Island with his wife, Larry joined Marc at Peasant and has enjoyed time with his newest grandchild, Marc’s 16-month old son Sonny. Sonny is already revealing a culinary inkling. During our phone conversation, he was alongside dad Marc as he scaled out a double recipe for pizza dough made from wild yeast.
In honor of Father’s Day, Chefs Larry and Marc Forgione share their stories about food, family and future plans.
Larry, what were your grandmother’s stand out Italian dishes?
In the typical traditional way, Sunday sauce, we would get pasta first, and then after that would be all the braised meats cooked in the sauce. Her braciola really stands out. She made spaghetti pie that everybody loved. She would go down to the [Long Island] Sound and get these little sea snails like periwinkles and cook them, clams, clams oreganata, and steamed clams. The bounty of the food was just incredible.
Marc, how have your Italian roots influenced your cooking?
Growing up for me, my dad’s father, Pop-Pop, was 100% Italian. Some of my favorite memories are going to Pop-Pop’s house. He was always wearing an apron no matter when you walked in. There was always something on the stove: whether it was his meat sauce or he was frying pizza dough. It stuck with me.
Marc Forgione in action (ph Michael Condran)
Do you enjoy cooking together, or does it get competitive? What were some favorite Italian dishes growing up?
Marc: I don't know if competition is the right word, but my brother cooks as well. When he and I were both younger in our twenties, maybe not mature enough to understand, there was definitely, we'll call it poking fun, in the kitchen. ‘Oh, that's not how I would do that’ or maybe add something when the other wasn't looking. It always came down to what Dad wanted.
The meals I remember at home were the Italian-American kind of classics: my mom's meatballs are something that all the kids still talk about; my grandpa's meat sauce. A couple of years after he passed away, I was eating at Market Table, where Mikey Price is the chef. He served us a mid-course: cavatelli with a lamb ragù. The smell from the ragù transported me back to Pop- Pop's kitchen. It was like I saw him standing there when I was tasting the sauce. I cried for a couple of minutes, and the waiter asked, "Is everything okay?"
What was it like having a professional chef for a dad?
Marc: When you're kids, I don't think you realize that the Godfather of American cuisine is your dad. He's just dad. Looking back on it, some of the best times that I can remember would be when he would bring me into the restaurant. I remember going into the kitchen, and it just seemed like the circus for me. I loved the way it smelled. I loved the way it sounded. They would put up a box, and I'd stand on it, and they'd let me do odd jobs like pick herbs or stuff like that. And everybody would bring me cookies. Going to big chef events, I used to think it was like a rock concert. I loved there was live music and there would be all of these people dressed up who wanted to see my dad and taste the food. I still have visions of a whole side of salmon on a cedar plank over a real fire and dad making a macaroni dish in a giant tilt skillet. When you're a kid, and you see a tilt skillet with 40 pounds of pasta in there, it looks like an ocean. I was always in awe of cooking. My dad never forced it, but it was a treat when you got to go hang out because dad worked a lot.
Peasant dining room (ph Michael Condran)
How were you able to manage the weight of expectations after following your dad into his profession?
Marc: When I was a younger kid working in other kitchens, I think the best thing that could have happened to me was being Larry Forgione's son because every single chef I worked for pushed me a little harder and focused on my station with a little more attention. They didn't accept anything less than what was supposed to be done. And if I didn't do it, it was made very clear to everybody in the kitchen, "Ooooh, son of Larry can't even make the veal sauce correctly." I never disliked it. It made me sharper. I think that's why I was able to do what I did at a younger age than most because, by the time I was 23, 24 years old, I'd been through five years of boot camp. It benefited me greatly in that sense.
As the years went on, I'd call my dad or invite him to eat at my restaurant, and he would say this is almost exactly what we were serving in 1989. It evolved into what An American Place stood for, which was the best ingredients you could get with the preparations that had a lot to do with the history and food. I would go back and look into his book for ideas. I think a lot of it was osmosis.
Larry: Over the years, we have seen how similarly we think about food. That's not to do with recipes; it's just how we think about food. Marc coming up with an idea of this creative thing that he's experiencing, he was so excited he found this ingredient or was doing this dish, and I'd done the same in 1989.
Have you taught each other anything new in the kitchen?
Larry: He's revived a love of food again. I love to see his enthusiasm and how he approaches food. It's not a question of whether somebody gets taught something or not. I love trying his food. It's important good chefs never stop learning. They never stop relying on recipes. Recipes are for inspiration, and Marc has always done such a great job interpreting flavors, and I love to see what's next.
Marc: This whole experience at Peasant has been really cool in so many ways. I haven't worked with my dad in probably 15 or 16 years in a professional setting. It was a little difficult initially because I've been my own boss for 12 years. It's been amazing, and it helped me grow as a chef to hear somebody else's opinion. Nine times out of ten, we would do it the way that he said, and I would be like, 'Holy shit that was definitely the route to go.' He's introduced me to a couple of different purveyors that we weren't using before Peasant. It's like watching my dad go in a time machine, and he's right back doing what he does: finding the best ingredients from wherever they are and doing things just a little better than everybody else.
The Forgiones, three generations
You’ve both earned countless awards and accolades as chefs. Is there anything else you would like to accomplish?
Larry: Well, the project that we’re looking at in the future is the one thing left: we are going to work together. We love writing menus together. We are doing Peasant together. We are doing Davide together.
Is Davide still happening despite the pandemic?
Marc: Yes. It's tough figuring out when anything is going to start back up. As soon as we can, we're going to restart construction. Davide is based on when my dad was in Napa. He was really engulfed in trying to make the best ancient grains pizza called pinsa. That's going to be our goal when we get it going. The idea for the pastas is to do the classics like Amatriciana, Bolognese, Carbonara, Arrabbiata, the simple, real Italian dishes done with intelligence and great ingredients.
What are five Italian ingredients that you keep in your refrigerator at all times?
Marc: I'm obsessed with Calabrian chilies in any shape or form. I have paste, dried Calabrian chilies, Calabrian chili oil. There’s a company that I'm good friends with called T R E Olive, and I always have their extra virgin olive oil and olives in my pantry. My son's doctor is a block from Salumeria Biellese. So any time I take him to the doctor, I stock up on salami and sausages. Polenta is always in my pantry. I have oregano, basil, parsley, tomatoes, all of those Italian usuals in the garden.
Larry: Ours is very similar. I just took a quick look in the refrigerator, and we have olives, garlic. I made a pea stew from basil we bought at the market. I have another pea stew from wild leeks and ramps. Great quality olive oil is incredibly important—high quality chili flakes. I'm sure if we thought about it, this was in my father's kitchen too.
Marc Forgione restaurant is open for takeout Wednesday – Sunday from 5pm – 9pm. Summer bbq on the porch is Thursday – Sunday 1 pm – sunset. Peasant and Marc Forgione employee gofundme