From Italy with Love

What do coconut popsicles, Partagais and cherries have in common? These are all things chef/owner Andrea Frizzi of iL Posto love. Simple food and a good cigar.

Sitting down with Chef Frizzi gives you the feeling of being in Italy when he talks about what fuels his passion for food. One thing you can count on with the simple, Italian fare he delivers night after night is that it comes from his heart balanced by the history of learning about food as a young boy in his family’s salumeria while growing up in Italy.

Andrea didn’t choose to go to cooking school, which he attended as a teenager, it was a family decision and one Frizzi does not regret. He has cooked for queens, presidents and prime ministers. He went to art school for culinary design so he could learn how to create ice and jello sculptures. This is a man who takes his craft very seriously.

Taking your craft seriously and loving it are two different things. Andrea takes his passion for food to a level most people in any career would be lucky to have. When asked what it is about food that drives him his reply is simple: memories. Food reminds him of moments that he had in this past with his family. When he eats, it’s an emotional journey and for this reason he prefers to eat at home with his wife Tara.

Andrea came to the United States in 1993 via Washington D.C. as an executive chef for Bice Restaurants. During his two year tenure with them he was voted Best Young chef by Williams Sonoma and Best Young Chef in D.C.

After Bice Restaurants Frizzi started Restaurant, Inc., a restaurant consulting company where he opened more than 20 restaurants in the D.C. and New York City markets. “Consulting was fun but it wasn’t my own game”, Frizzi says.

He came to Denver to consult on a restaurant and fell in love with it. As an avid fly fisherman he knew he would fit in and the people were great. He quickly made friends here and saw opportunity in this growing city. These factors made him stay and he has no plans of moving back to Italy.

He would like to see Denver add more independent restaurants, bakeries and pastry shops (did you hear that Deanna Parker? – he likes gelato too) and for the community to focus more on locally raised food.

When asked who he would like to meet, the list is (quite) distinguished and admirable; the Dalai Lama for his calmness, Jacques Pepin for his technique, Carlo Montizamo, President of Ferrari, for his inspiring vision and Mario Batali for raising the profile of Italian food way past spaghetti and meatballs.

What makes a great chef in Andrea’s eyes? It goes back to simplicity; commitment, uncompromising attention to details and humility.

Chef Andrea, you are well on your way and Denver is lucky to have you, your commitment to your food memories and your food.

Ciao.