For the third installment of my series “Searching for Italy in the South'' I visit one of the most dynamic Sicilian-American chefs, Amanda Russ Cifaldi, chef and owner of Pomodori Italian Eatery in the coastal resort town of Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Cifaldi has an amazing story. An accomplished singer, she toured the world with a performance group called the Young Americans, then cashed in her 401K and took a huge leap of faith. She moved to Calabria to enhance her culinary education, training at the Italian Cooking Institute. She lived a quarter of a mile up a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea between Catanzaro and Soverato. Completely immersed in Italian culture, she says she quickly learned that "the food in Italy is not just considered Italian food. It's much more regional. Southern cuisine in Italy is centered around simple fresh food. The Calabrese only cook what they grow, catch, and raise on the farms and seas.There are lots of fresh vegetables, delicate sauces, sausage, fresh cheeses, and the freshest seafood. And boy do the Calabrese love spicy food."
At Pomodori, she channels her Sicilian roots and Calabrian experiences to make inventive dishes that combine Italian techniques with the indigenous ingredients of Lowcountry. For instance, Carolina shrimp highlight her bucatini all’Amatriciana with guanciale, and she employs the Southern staple fried green tomatoes as pomodori fritti, made with red pepper romesco, green tomato tapenade, and goat cheese. She also serves salsiccia made in-house by her mother, and insalata di Cavolo e Pecorino.
The dishes reflect her philosophy: "Keep it simple with just a few ingredients, allowing each of the ingredients to shine!"
A quaint little gem nestled in the middle of this beautiful historic beach town, Pomodori is infused with the rich scents and flavors of both Sicily and South Carolina Lowcountry. The walls are lined with Cifaldi’s family photos including her grandpa Cappy (short for Capuzello), a talented pianist, and her grandma Cappy, a 1950s-era chef who made everything from scratch.
You could say that Cifaldi was born with rhythm in her soul and a fierce passion to cook. She grew up with the sights, sounds, and smells of music and good Italian home cooking. It's no wonder this multi-talented chef and singer electrifies the kitchen and literally puts on a show for her diners, who she refers to as "family."
"In an Italian home it's all about food and family,” she says. “I grew up listening to my grandpa Cappy playing the piano and my grandma, the matriarch of the family, cooking for us all. Music and food, what more can you ask for?"
Cifaldi’s big bet on herself has paid off. She has built Pomodori into a Hilton Head institution, now in its tenth year. Vacationers in the South's most beautiful beach town can easily imagine they’re dining along the Southern coastal tip of Italy. And she's still singing, performing in a band with her brother on Hilton Head, while on some nights, Cifaldi will perform her live "jam cooking" sessions for her customers, where she sings while banging pots and pans in the open kitchen. Who doesn't love good food and live entertainment?