East Meadow Chamber member named Chef of the Year

Paolo Telese, head chef at Elisa’s Ristorante Caf in North Bellmore, grew up in the kitchen. Following in his father’s footsteps, Telese enjoyed cooking from an early age and has perfected his trade throughout the years, most recently earning the Long Island Food Critic 2011 Chef of the Year Award.

While Telese is most known for his homemade pastas, soups and sauces, he said he enjoys creating new dishes with exotic ingredients. “Anything strange, wild, I love working with,” he says. “The weirder it is, the more excited I am.”

Customers at Elisa’s can expect a traditional Italian meal in a family atmosphere. “I come here on the weekend because I want to see everybody; I want to talk to everybody,” said Elisa, Paolo’s mother whom the restaurant is named after. “[Customers] come here because they feel like they’re going to someone’s house.”

While Paolo perfects dishes in the back, his older brother, Rocky, runs the front of the cafe. The two said they didn’t get along as children, mostly because of the seven year age difference, but have enjoyed working at Elisa’s, which they opened 16 year ago.

Upon graduation from high school, Paolo studied at the Culinary Institute of America and was the head chef at a summer resort in Switzerland before opening Elisa’s. He readily admits his job is stressful and knows he will never attend happy hour or have off on holidays like New Year’s Eve and Easter, but takes pleasure in his work. “This is basically what my passion was always for,” he said.

Paolo, who lives in Merrick, grew up in New York and spent most summers in Abrutzi, Italy, where his parents have a second home. His roots are reminiscent in his dishes. At an experience deemed exceptional by Long Island Food Critics, “The menu offered at Elisa’s ranges from traditional, old-world Italian cuisine to uniquely, imaginative plates.” According to its review, favorite dishes include the Gnocchi Bolognese, a potato pasta dish served in a light pink sauce, and Pollo alla Portovino, a chicken dish sauted with Portobello mushrooms, cognac, port win and tomato sauce.

Paolo said he was shocked to find out he was named the Chef of the Year and was going to skip the awards ceremony. “Did I expect it? No, not at all,” he admitted. “I’m very excited.”

When he is not cooking, Paolo enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, and their two children. He added that Laura is a good cook as well and he is not allowed in the kitchen at home, but loves a good barbecue with family and friends. He is also involved in numerous civic organizations including the East Meadow and Merrick chambers, Knights of Columbus, Sons of Italy, East Meadow Kiwanis, American Chef Federation and Star Gazers.

Elisa’s Ristorante Caf, 2754 North Jerusalem Road, is open seven days a week and offers daily specials. For more information, call (516) 679-4805 or visit www.elisasrestaurant.com.