Marc Vetri
Sicilian grandparents, born in the late Sixties, after a long training between Italy and the US, Marc Vetri decided to return to Philadelphia and in September 1998 took the reins of the old Le Bec Fin with sommelier Jeff Benjamin. The kitchen philosophy of restaurant Vetri – initially rustic, with handmade pasta, innovative combinations of ingredients and artistic presentations – was immediately praised by critics and public, so much so that according to Food & Wine he was already one of the “Ten best new chefs”. In 2005 he won the prestigious James Beard prize for “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic”.
Since then, the Vetri/Benjamin pair opened other popular and celebrated establishments - Osteria in Philadelphia (2007), Amis (2010), Alla Spina (2012), Pizzeria Vetri (2013) and Osteria Moorestown (2013) - but Vetri is still the flagship restaurant and Marc Vetri is one of the most influential chefs when it comes to Italian cuisine overseas.
Compared to the origins, the mother establishment only seats 30 people with a constantly evolving tasting menu dictated by seasons. Among the signature dish: Spinach gnocchi with brown butter, Sweet onion crepes with white truffle, Goat and polenta. In 2008 Marc Vetri he also founded Vetri Foundation, a non-profit organization that guides children towards a healthy lifestyle, not just in terms of diet. For more info, read "Il Viaggio di Vetri" (Ten Speed Press).
This article is curated by Identità Golose, the publication that organises the international fine dining congress, publishes website www.identitagolose.com and the online Guida Identità Golose, on top of curating many other events in Italy and abroad
