Chef Stefano Secchi’s Live Cooking Show is 100% Father’s Day Goals!

Quarantine days have inspired many chefs to cook on social media and share tricks of the trade with their followers – and Stefano Secchi, chef and co-owner of celebrated NYC restaurant Redzôra, is no exception. Secchi launched a cooking show on Instagram with a very special guest: his adorable 17-month-old son Luca, who became an instant hit with his fans!

“Lessons with Luca” features authentic Italian regional dishes, such as Sardinian malloreddus pasta, a stuffed quail with  polenta from Veneto; raviolini from Emilia; and Roman pizza al taglio. The series showcases the young father’s cooking skills – from preparing handmade pasta to frying gourmet chicken cutlets – all while handling his toddler: An inspiration to parents all over the world facing the all-too-familiar challenge of trying to put dinner on the table, while watching the kids at the same time.

Secchi is a natural at this, of course. Once upon a time, he was also that toddler in the kitchen. Born to a family in the restaurant business, Secchi has dedicated his career to the craft of Italian cooking. He spent many years in Modena, working under Massimo Bottura at the famed Osteria Francescana and learning the art of pasta-making with the now-famous Nonna Laura Morandi of Hosteria Giusti  (since it was featured on the Netflix blockbuster series “Master of None”). Secchi also worked at All’Enoteca for a time in the Piedmont “truffle region” of Italy, where he worked with Michelin-starred chef Davide Palluda. And his Redzôra restaurant in New York City, where he serves traditional Emilia-Romagna cuisine, has so far received many accolades –including 3 stars from the New York Times! Still, his toughest critic remains his son Luca, who tastes his dad’s recipes at the end of the episode – the portion of the show titled “The Judge’s Table.” And with picky toddlers, it’s not always a raving review!

Chatting with me over the phone, Chef Secchi shared more on his inspiration for the series, his personal experience and a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes – plus his Father’s Day plans this year:

How did the idea come about for the series with Luca?

I still go to Italia for two to three months in the summertime – but since I’ve been living in the States, I’ll go to Italian restaurants and eat something that is not what I know to be Italian food, and I get very frustrated. The reason we are making these videos is because I wanted to make dishes that are true to the Italian tradition, while at the same time doing something with my son to create memories that will last for the rest of our lives. It has been one of the most amazing experiences; he is so funny and amazing.

He seems relatively well behaved!

If you could see behind the camera once it’s turned off, though, you would laugh. There is food everywhere! We should really put together all the outtake from “The Judge’s Table” – just to show the mess that he makes.

How hard is it to cook with a kid?

I tip my hat to all the moms out there. You have the hardest job in the world. I learned a lot of tricks from friends who are moms, and from my wife: For example, I’ll put him in his chair and cut some Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma for him, while I roll the pasta or stuff the quail. To distract him.

Is he around in the kitchen at Redzôra?

Yes, every day. We live 5 minutes walking distance from the restaurant. Last night, he came in his PJs, and I fed him a 25-year-old aceto balsamico vinegar for the first time – which he loved! I was surprised. He eats almost everything; I hope it will be this way when he is 3-4 years old. But I can’t get him to love all types of pasta yet: He likes raviolini emiliani, but spaghettini alla chitarra and orecchiette... not so much.

Was it the same with your dad? Do you have a connection with him with food?

My dad was the head of the house and the restaurant, and my brother’s godfather from Calabria was in the kitchen as well – so of course, we were always there too, because my parents worked all the time. They would pick us up from school and we’d stay there for three hours before going home, eating torta di croccantino, mozzarella, prosciutto e melone, amatriciana, carbonara – ever since I can remember, even back when I was 1 or 2 years old.

We were there every day – except for Sundays, when we would eat a big bowl of spaghetti, rigatoni or penne pomodoro for lunch. And for dinner, a whole roasted fish, Ligurian-style, with potatoes, tomatoes, and taggiasca olives. It was one of the first amazing meals I had with my dad. I gave it to Luca on Sunday for the first time and it was amazing. He loves it.

What are the benefits of involving a kid in the kitchen at an early age?

It’s impossible to know if he’ll want to be in the restaurant business when he’s older, but the main benefit that I’ve always experienced – that other people talk about and that I also know to be true – is that there is no better way to bring people that you don’t know, complete strangers, to the table and have a conversation with them while you cook for them. It opens so many doors. That’s how I got my first job when I was in high school: cooking for someone. So even if he doesn’t want to be in the business down the road, when you know how to cook for yourself, you’ll also be able to save money. When I moved to New York, I didn’t have any money myself, so I would buy a whole chicken and I would make it in five different ways. And of course, when I met my wife, she let me cook for her four or five times and then we got married…

How did your followers respond?

We have followers from Italia, Great Britain and America. Every time an episode is on, we have a ton of comments or DMs asking me for the recipe and how I do things. And of course, everyone wants to pinch Luca. The other day, we were walking down 17^th Street and Irving Place – which is close to where I live – and a couple stopped us and said, “Wait! That’s Luca!” They recognized him! It’s so funny.

What is Luca’s favorite food?

Tortellini in brodo. But the recipe that surprisingly went over really with him was the cotoletta alla Bolognese. I used a chicken thigh instead of the usual veal chop, and made it with prosciutto and parmigiano. He loved the texture of the chicken – it was very moist. And of course, pizza al taglio: That was the first thing we made, no questions asked.

Does he eat his vegetables?

Sometimes. He likes broccoli and spinach, while avocado and mushroom, not so much. I also make him a butternut squash purée with crumbled amaretti cookies on top that he eats all the time.

What was your favorite food growing up – and now?

I am asked this question a lot. Definitely tortellini in brodo, because we often visited Emilia-Romagna, and in Sardegna, spaghetti with bottarga – I ate that a lot. [Secchi’s father is from Sardegna.] Also, the first chef at our family’s restaurant used to make spaghetti or linguini alla puttanesca, another favorite of mine.

What would you recommend for kids from the Redzôra menu?

We make lasagna Bolognese the same way they do it in Bologna – and we will never take it off the menu because it’s a classic. It’s probably one of the best pastas, and the kids go crazy for it. We make an amazing “Nonna walking through the forest in Emilia” pasta, a green cappelletti pasta dish with roasted leeks and black mushroom sauce: The kids love that, too. And even if it’s not on the menu, we can always make strozzapreti con pomodoro.

Any plans for Father’s Day?

We’re going to make one of my favorites: gnocco fritto with prosciutto. Then probably some lasagna and a simple fish with vegetables – with some Sangiovese or Nebbiolo wine. I think Luca will be pleased with the fish.