Aug 16, 2024
When I first spoke with Chef Michael Toscano in 2017,
he and his family were just getting settled in Charleston with the
opening of Le Farfalle. Now, seven years later, the chef seems as
if he’s truly settled into a new rhythm between NYC and the
Lowcountry. He and his wife Caitlin currently have four
restaurants: the aforementioned Le Farfalle, da Toscano in New
York’s Greenwich Village, da Toscano Porchetta Shop in Charleston,
and Fugazzi, a small spot inside Charleston’s Revelry Brewing that
serves what Michael calls unauthentic Italian-inspired American
food. The last two are decidedly casual, a new turn for a chef
that’s been anything but when it comes to his career. He was a sous
chef at Mario Batali’s Babbo by the age of 21, was nominated three
times for Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation, and
opened his first chef-owned restaurant, Perla, in 2012, which made
Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America list. He’s always pursued
his passion for cooking, but now that passion is a team sport,
where he looks to grow and support the rising stars in his own
restaurants as well as the farmers he loves to work with. And one
way he does that? By topping soft, crusty focaccia, fresh out of
the oven, with all sorts of delicious
things.
Other episodes you might enjoy:
Michael Toscano: Le Farfalle (Charleston, SC)
Craig Richards: Lyla Lila (Atlanta, GA)