About me

I came to America from Italy in 1980 with three passions; the Italian passion for life, and a personal love of acting and cooking. I am a chef & restaurateur in New York City. My restaurants include Centolire and Centolire Cafe & Panini. I have written five cookbooks, including  A Tuscan in the Kitchen, Simply Tuscan, Fish Talking, La Mia Cucina Toscana and Two Meatballs. My autobiography  Dirty Dishes — A Restaurateur’s Story of Passion, Pain and Pasta  is now available. I live in Westchester with my wife and children where I coach my son’s soccer team, listen to Italian pop songs and opera, and cook.

PINO LUONGO

Pino Luongo’s love of food extends back to childhood afternoons spent in his mother’s kitchen and summers working at his uncle’s restaurant in Porto Santo Stefano. Although he originally trained to become an actor, Luongo ended up following his initial passion, pursuing a career as a chef & restaurateur when he moved to New York City from Florence in 1980. In 1983 he opened Il Cantinori, which became an instant hit. With each succeeding restaurant, Luongo has transferred “the essence of my homeland–the flavors, the landscape, the history and the culture of Italy” to America. In 1988 he introduced regional Italian cuisine with Sapore di Mare (Taste of the Sea) in East Hampton, and again in 1989 with Le Madri (The Mothers), for which he flew in Italian mothers to ensure the utmost authenticity.

Luongo opened his first Coco Pazzo (The Crazy Chef) in 1990 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Just as the name suggests, Coco Pazzo introduced clever sophistication to traditional Tuscan fare. Diners soon become regulars, as Coco Pazzo’s clientele of luminaries from the financial world and entertainment industries responded to the touch of wit in his dishes and the warmth of the atmosphere.

In 1997, Luongo formed an alliance with Cornerstone Equity Investors, whereupon he opened several additional Coco Pazzo restaurants: Coco Marina, formally located in the World Financial Center; and Coco Pazzo Teatro, formally located in Times Square’s only luxury boutique hotel, The Time, as well as Coco Pazzo and Coco Pazzo Cafe locations in Chicago.

In 1997, Luongo realized his dream of bringing Tuscan lifestyle to America in the form of a 10,000 square foot location in Rockefeller Center, the aptly named Tuscan Square, which encompassed the best of all worlds: chic restaurant and bar upstairs, espresso bar, bakery and market place with prepared foods downstairs.

In March 2001 Luongo opened Centolire, Italian for “100 lire,” and is the name of an old song that stated, “with 100 lire you can go to America.” Decorated with the antique tools used by early Italian American immigrants and elegant Brunschwig et Fils fabrics, Centolire features old and new world Italian American cuisine: Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Meatballs, Peas and Mushrooms; Classic Caesar Salad Prepared Tableside; Mezze Maniche with Cauliflower Confit and La Grande, a Grilled T-Bone Steak
with choice of accompaniments.

In addition to his prodigious activities as a restaurateur, Luongo has also written five cookbooks: Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen, A Tuscan in the Kitchen, Fish Talking, Simply Tuscan, and La Mia Cucina Toscana.

In 1996, inspired by the desire to give his customers access to the great flavors of Coco Pazzo in their very own homes, Luongo created the Coco Pazzo food line. The popular line is carried at many fine stores, a few of which include: Wegmans, Food Emporium, D’Agostino, Fairway, and Eli’s in New York, Kings in New Jersey, Treasure Island in Chicago, and Draegers and Andronicos in California, Stop & Shop in Connecticut and New York, Giant Food In Maryland and D.C., Raley’s & Nob Hill in Northern California, Raley’s & Nob Hill in Northern California, Thriftway in Seattle, Gristede’s, and Foodtown. The line comprises pasta sauces, Arrabbiata, Cacciatore, Puttanesca, Rustica and Vodka; seafood sauces, Intenso, Pescatore and Piccante; and soups, White Bean with Escarole, Five Bean with Barley, Three Bean with Sage and Lentil with Thyme.

Luongo travels home to Tuscany several times a year with his wife and three children. The time he spends out of the kitchen is spent on the soccer field, listening to Italian pop and opera, and enjoying his family. The Luongos reside in Westchester, New York.

For more information on Pino Luongo, please visit our website.

http://www.pinoluongo.com/