Episode 79: Chef Rich Torrisi of Torrisi Restaurant and Major Food Group

If you think back to the early days when you first started in this industry, you'll probably remember fondly some of those early memories of working on the line, battling it out with your fellow cooks and friends, just hoping to get to the end of service without running out of mise en place. But those are the moments that you forged really close bonds with your colleagues as you would finish service, maybe get a shift drink, and then head out into the night in search of something fun to get into, just to come back the next day and do it again. But then there are those times when you meet someone with whom you really connect and who is as passionate about the industry as you are, with lofty ambitions and goals that help stoke the fire within you and propel you forward throughout your career. Rich Torrisi is that person for our host, Chef Eli Kulp. Rich is a fiercely dedicated chef whose unbridled ambition, blended with his self-described "stubbornness," has created an international restaurant juggernaut, along with his friend, Chef Mario Carbone, and business partner, Jeff Zalasnick, who have opened, on average, about 2.5 restaurants a year for the past 10 years. This is a fascinating story of how two Italian American kids from working class families have been able to build Major Food Group into a world-class company from a tiny little restaurant on Mulberry Street in Manhattan, called Torrisi Italian Specialties.  Working with Rich and Mario, Eli was able to create a framework within his repertoire that would eventually lead to his success in Philadelphia, where he applied a similar approach to cooking, but through a lens that was more personal to him. Topics discussed in this episode: List of Major Food Group’s flagship restaurants Rich describes the concept behind Torrisi Italian Specialties The struggle to find a space for Torissi Opening Torissi for night time dining Torissi’s 5-star review in New York Magazine Restaurants Rich worked at and chefs he trained with in New York City Staging at multiple Michelin-star restaurants in France When Rich had an important epiphany Eli and Rich discuss the hard days working together at Torrisi Important dishes served at Torrisi Inspiration for opening Torrisi 2.0 The ‘90s hip-hop music playlist How music brought customers together at Torrisi Bringing classic New York culture to Torrisi 2.0 Dishes Eli and Rich created together at Torrisi How Eli approached his menu at Fork Chef culture changing towards cooking your own authentic food Check out more restaurants you can visit from Major Food Group: https://www.majorfood.com/our-concepts/ Head to our website for more episodes of The Chef Radio Podcast and connect with us on Instagram! Also, be sure to check out our other podcast Delicious City Philly. Connect with Eli: Instagram A huge shout out to our sponsors Maxwell McKenney and Singer Equipment for their unwavering support, so we are able to bring these thoughtful conversations to you. Check out their websites for all the quality equipment they can supply your restaurant with to make it more efficient and successful.