Mark Vetri

Marc Vetri took a circuitous path towards cooking, dabbling in business and music before landing in the kitchen. After formally studying business at Drexel University in Philadelphia and taking time to take up the guitar, Vetri decided to switch coasts and head to California to study jazz guitar. Money was tight on this adventure, so he decided to look for work in a restaurant. Vetri set out for Wolfgang Puck's Granita restaurant but Puck had no openings. Every day, he waited by the kitchen door for the opportunity to work there for free and to have a chance to prove himself. Vetri's dogged patience finally paid off when one dayy the chef, short on staff, asked him to come help. Eventually, Vetri became a full-time employee. The chef, Joseph Manzare, valued Vetri’s determination and appreciation and encouraged him to go to Italy to cook with the masters. Taking this advice, Vetri spent two years at Taverna Del Colleoni and other top restaurants in Italy, where he was taught how to prepare prosciutto, press olive oil, make wine and cook like his ancestors.

From Italy, Vetri took a brief detour and opened a restaurant in Juneau, Alaska for Princess Cruise Lines before moving to New York. Under his direction as executive chef of Bella Blu, the restaurant was named "Best New Restaurant of 1996" by New York Magazine. Marc, longing to come back home to Philadelphia, decided to open a place of his own and be able to personally cook the food he loved.

Vetri officially opened his namesake restaurant, Vetri’s, in the fall of 1998. The rest, as they say, is history. In 1999, Vetri was named one of America’s Ten Best New Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine. In 2001, the restaurant was honored with a rarely achieved Four Bell ("Superior") review from Philadelphia Inquirer Restaurant critic, Craig LaBan. While vacationing in Italy, Vetri discovered a 1936 Berkel meat slicer and had it shipped back to the States. He had it restored and now it is prominently displayed in the dining room of his restaurant, where he slices paper-thin prosciutto for antipasti and personally presents it to his guests. Vetri's determination and rebellious spirit lets him always follow his heart.

Chef's Recipes :

Seared Halibut with Saffron Broth and Leeks

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