Italy embraces fashion and food because neither will ever go out of style.
So it's no surprise that an upcoming venture in midtown – the Hot Italian at 16th and Q streets – will merge those hot commodities like no other.
This week's Stylemaker is Nicola Rivieccio, the operations director for the restaurant/boutique, which is set to open this fall.
A familiar face on the local dining scene, he was a fixture at Piatti in Pavilions and co-founded Masque Ristorante in El Dorado Hills along with chef Angelo Auriana.
We sat down with Rivieccio (who goes by "Nicki") over, but what else, fine Italian cuisine, to get his take on how style and pizza will be hot in Sacramento.
The Hot Italian, which is a venture with Andrea Lepore (managing partner) and Fabrizio Cercatore (executive chef), is a unique concept – a restaurant and a boutique. Why will it work?
Food and clothing, they're so intertwined. Culturally, they're also associated with beautiful things. We match food and wine, and shoes and clothes. Style easily spills over into food. That will be reflected in our menu and the Italian clothing sold in the boutique.
Who is the Hot Italian? Is it you, because we love the T-shirt.
Hah! The shirt was designed for us by Robert Iannucci, a former Calvin Klein model who is now an L.A.-based designer. Fabrizio's pizzas are named after famous Italians, several with fashion connections. There's the Prada Pizza, the Giorgio Armani and the Gucci.
Are you more into fashion or food?
I cook at home. I love to grill and make pasta. I can whip up 15 different sauces. With the restaurant, we're going to show diners a new way of eating pizza. But take me to Italy and I'll bring home 20 new shirts. As a child (in Naples), I used to pester this woman to tailor my clothes.
What do you see as the big draw for the Hot Italian?
It will be accessible and hip, not stuffy. The food will reflect today's way of life. We're buying locally grown food from small farmers and markets. The (pizza) flour is organic and there will be parking for Vespas!
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