Chef Marcellino Verzino of Marcellino Ristorante was selected to cook at the James Beard House on Saturday, October 14. This honor came as a result of a competitive selection process.

It was Chef Marcellino’s second time cooking at the Beard House. He previously participated on May 28, 1998, when he was the Executive Chef at Amarone Ristorante in New York City.

The mission of the James Beard Foundation is to celebrate, nurture and preserve America’s culinary heritage and future. In order to be invited to cook at the Beard House, chefs must be recommended. Next, the Chef Selection Committee through a competitive selection process chooses them. Some of the criteria include national or regional reputation, excellence in a particular discipline and known use of high quality ingredients.

Born into the “farm to table” life before it even had a name, Chef Marcellino took guests on a historic culinary tour of his childhood growing up in the Campania region of Italy. The choices of cuisine he chose for The Heritage Dinner were his personal recipes that come from his soul. It was the first time Chef Marcellino shared his very personal heritage and recipes gathered from touching memories from family life on the farm. During the dinner he shared stories about his eclectic family and ways to prepare food that are almost more relevant today than they were back during his young life in Reino. He was proud to present the richness and diversity of regional Italian food and wine.

“It was an honor and privilege to cook at the most important food venue in the United States. I loved making this particular menu, as it is full of recipes inspired from my hometown,” states Chef Marcellino.