Chef Rocco Agostino has enjoyed molto successo with the three critically acclaimed restaurants he has opened in Toronto’s west end over the past 11 years — Pizzeria Libretto, Enoteca Sociale and the now-closed Silver Spoon. Agostino is expanding east as he prepares to open up the second Pizzeria Libretto on the Danforth this fall.
Although his restaurants have become known for their simple plates and fresh ingredients, there’s nothing simple about Agostino’s success. His culinary journey has taken him through two career changes and almost every component of the restaurant industry.
Before his foray into the business, the Toronto-born chef tried selling shoes and real estate but found he was having more fun throwing extravagant dinner parties for friends.
“I reached a point where I thought, ‘Maybe I could do this for a job,’ ” he says. “I remember my father saying, ‘You’re never too old to do what you want to do.’ ”
Agostino’s first restaurant job was as a dishwasher at Ciao Bella in Woodbridge. Later, Agostino met Ferro owner Frank Pronesti at a barbecue he attended with other gastronomes. Pronesti tasted a swordfish dish Agostino cooked for the event and hired him on the spot.
Ferro was, Agostino says, where he began to really learn how to cook. But, after six years, Agostino says he was restless and enrolled in a two-year culinary program at Stratford Chefs School to gain a better understanding of the basics of cooking and a grounding in French cuisine. Then he moved to Rome for a year where he cooked in a fine dining restaurant and at a casual trattoria.
“It was incredible — the experience brought my philosophy and how I cook into focus,” the 40-year-old Agostino says. “[Italians] enjoy life and food.” Agostino returned home and opened his first restaurant in 2000, the Italian/French bistro the Silver Spoon.
Agostino, who describes his culinary style as “simple and flavourful,” with a push toward seasonal and local foods, says he’s always been inspired by his mother’s cooking. “I have about three ingredients in each dish,” he says. “It’s not too complicated.”
Whereas his experience in Rome inspired his wine bar Enoteca Sociale on Dundas West, which opened in June 2010, it was a passion for another region in Italy, Naples, that led to Pizzeria Libretto. Opening in August 2008, Libretto was an instant hit, serving its authentic Neapolitan pizzas to the foodie crowd on Ossington.
In its first week of opening, Agostino says he ran out of pizza dough three nights in a row. “It took off in ways I didn’t expect.”
Given the lineups that wait patiently without reservations for a table, there is clearly a case for the second Libretto.
The Danforth location, slated to open in October, will have two floors, with a bar on the first floor and a 90-seat restaurant on the upper level. Agostino says the location attracted him for the same reason he founded his first Libretto on Ossington.
“It’s a great neighbourhood,” he says.