Cooking with Chef Silvio

A guided tour of the cuisine, culture, and rich culinary history of the Campania region of Italy.

A guided tour of the cuisine, culture, and rich culinary history of the Campania region of Italy.

Join Anthony Riccio and Chef Silvio Suppa for a guided tour of the rich culinary history of southern Italy. Known to the Romans as Campania felix, or "fertile countryside," Chef Silvio's home region of Campania is blessed with rich volcanic soil and warm sea breezes, which has resulted in an exuberant and varied cuisine that draws not only on the region's abundant fresh vegetables and herbs but also centuries of Roman, Arab, Spanish, and French influence. From traditional favorites like eggplant parmiggiana and pasta e fasul to family recipes like Aunt Irma's stuffed peppers and Maria Suppa's zabaglione, Cooking with Chef Silvio offers hearty and heartwarming fare as well as the stories behind the food, a cultural and social history of a region as told through its cuisine.

Anthony V. Riccio (1952–2022) was Manager of Stacks and Collections Maintenance at the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University. He was the author of several books on Italian American culture and history, including The Italian American Experience in New Haven: Images and Oral Histories; Farms, Factories, and Families: Italian American Women of Connecticut; and From Italy to the North End: Photographs, 1972–1982, and the coauthor, with Silvio Suppa, of Cooking with Chef Silvio: Stories and Authentic Recipes from Campania, all published by SUNY Press.

After learning the art of cooking from his grandmother, Silvio Suppa brought his knowledge of l'arte della cucina to the United States in 1968, where he became one of the architects of the cuisine now known as "New Haven Italian." After cooking at New Haven's famed Del Monaco's Restaurant for more than twenty years, he and his wife, Vittoria, moved to Madison, Connecticut, where he continues to serve his beloved Mediterranean classics at Café Allegre and three other restaurants: The Woodwinds, in Branford; Chef Silvio's, in Guilford; and Allegre Gourmet Express, in Madison. I have had the immense pleasure of booking Chef Silvio Suppa on the Fox-TV CT Morning Show several times. People always ask "how can you make Italian food different?" well they have never tasted Silvio's creations. He puts his heart and soul into every dish and it makes you feel as if he is personally preparing it for you! Anthony V. Riccio is Stacks Manager at the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University. He is the author of The Italian American Experience in New Haven: Images and Oral Histories, also published by SUNY Press, and Boston's North End: Images and Recollections of an Italian-American Neighborhood.

"Silvio's recipes are remarkable because they are so honest and uncontrived. There's a spare maturity to his dishes. Of the thirty or so Italian cookbooks I have at home, this one just became my favorite." — Matt Sutherland, ForeWord Reviews

"Cooking with Chef Silvio: Stories and Authentic Recipes from Campania is more than an Italian cookbook—it's a coffee table amalgam of southern Italy's culinary cultural history, peppered with delightful anecdotes as well as delectable recipes An excellent choice for cookbook collections. — Wisconsin Bookwatch

"There's always space for another Italian cookbook in my kitchen. Simple, easy, and straightforward, Silvio's cooking will regale you, satisfying your belly and your soul." — Chef Jacques Pépin

"I am 100% Italian, yet have not had the chance to fly over to Italy, so instead of pulling out my passport, I head to the Connecticut shoreline where I feel like I am truly getting a slice of authentic Italian cuisine! Chef Silvio has been such a delight to work with—so entertaining on air and just as warm off the air—I feel like he is one of my relatives the way he always greets me with open arms and a freshly piped cannoli! The only downfall? The umpteen pounds I have put on from a few too many visits to his restaurant." — Dina Stavola, FOX-TV CT

"The countryside of Campania comes alive in Cooking with Chef Silvio. These simple, flavorful, and rustic dishes inspire families to come together. Bring the bounty of Italian cuisine and the engaging history of the region to your table." — Chef Christopher Prosperi, Metro Bis Restaurant, Simsbury, CT