April’s featured DaVinci Master Chef* is Christian Petroni, who is currently living the dream. His restaurant (he’s the Chef Owner) Fortina, represents the beloved Italian culture that surrounded him while he was growing up, and combines his love of rustic, wholesome, seasonal (yet whimsical) cooking – the best part of the chef that he currently is. With his partners, John Nealon and Rob Krauss, whom he connected with while working at Barcelona Restaurant Group, Chef Petroni has created a truly unique restaurant group. Most recently, he’s appeared as a judge on both Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay. Additionally, he is the winner of Season 14 of Food Network Star.
Lucky us, as we were thrilled to host and spend time with Chef Petroni as he showcased his culinary expertise, while effortlessly whipping up three mouthwatering recipes – Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad and Milk & Maple Glazed Rutabaga Bruschetta, along with his fragrant and light lemon vinaigrette dressing. After our team of DNA chefs were able to learn these recipes, we invited our entire organization of 1,700 staff to our fourth consecutive event, DaVinci Master Chef Series Presents: the Food of Christian Petroni, to taste his exceptional recipes before they were officially rolled out on our seasonal menu for our residents to try.
If you’d like to try your hand at whipping up Chef Petroni’s three recipes in your own kitchen, then you’ve come to the right place! Check out the recipes below and become a master chef of your own. Dig in – we certainly did!
*The DaVinci Master Chef program at The Center for Discovery® invites acclaimed chefs from around the world to engage with our community here, and to volunteer their time to share their knowledge with our own team of chefs in our Department of Nourishment Arts® (DNA). Through Chef Cesare Casella, Chief of DNA, this program brings together colleagues and masters in the culinary world, who admire the use of fresh food as a therapeutic tool. Each year, our DaVinci Master Chefs visit The Center to teach their recipes (based on products from our Thanksgiving Farm®), to our DNA chefs. Our chefs learn the recipes and techniques taught by the master chef, which they bring back to the residences to prepare in our kitchens. What happens next? Well, our culinary team enjoys an educational exchange with leading chefs who not only inspire creativity, but a new skillset, as well.