Chef Spotlight: Donatella Arpaia of PROVA PIZZABAR in Grand Central Station

TV personality, restaurateur, and cookbook author, Donatella Arpaia, is best known for her role as head judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America and the Next Iron Chef. She is a regular contributor to NBC's The Today Show where she offers her culinary expertise and mouthwatering recipes.

She grew up in a family of restaurateurs, but pursued a brief career as a corporate attorney before returning to her undeniable passion for the culinary arts. Donatella has lent her expertise to string of successful restaurants like Davidburke & Donatella, Anthos, and Kefi. These projects and more have collectively earned substantial praises, such as Michelin Stars, Five Diamond Awards, and James Beard nominations. Recently she opened he first upscale quick service pizza concept in Grand Central Terminal "Prova Pizzabar" and has plans to expand nationwide.

Donatella is a two-time winner of the New York Food & Wine Festival's Meatball Madness competition. She beat out major names in the culinary world- proving there is no substitute for a classic recipe! Donatella currently sells the same meatballs in frozen form on HSN alongside her signature line of kitchen solutions. Additionally, Donatella has now expanded into Designer as she has a full entertaining home line for Frontgate that have sold out from its launch last year.

Donatella is wife to renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Allan Stewart. They live a balanced life in New York City with their son, devouring every moment with their own spirited style.

Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Donatella Arpaia for our "Chef Spotlight."

What was your earliest interest in cooking?

I grew up in a food family - my father was a restaurateur and I spent every summer in my mom's small agricultural town in Italy. She still has farmland to this day and her family continues to make their own olive oil and grow many fruits and vegetables in Puglia, located in the south of Italy. I am the youngest of 3 and left handed - I always tried to help and participate in the cooking but my Mom thought everything I did "looked" wrong because I was a lefty, so she would constantly shoo me out of the kitchen. This only made me want to be in the kitchen more!

Who were some of your career mentors?

My father is definitely my most significant mentor. A self-made man, he came here as an immigrant, started as a busboy and became a very successful restaurateur. He is one of the first to elevate Italian dining from red-checkered table cloth to fine dining. He taught me a lot about running a restaurant and instilled in me his passion for all things Italian.

What culinary styles have influenced your career?

While I dabble in other cuisines, the culinary style I am most influenced by remains to be Italian. I enjoy preparing and presenting Italian food from all the regions of Italy which are vast and varied.

What do you consider the most distinguishing features of your work as a chef?

My passion for food was formed at a young age. My ability to combine timeless recipes and lessons with my modern, urban lifestyle is what differentiates me as a chef. I believe in high-quality ingredients with rustic, bold flavors without sacrificing an eye toward presentation, which is extremely important to me.

What is your favorite meal?

For me it always begins and ends with pasta. I think my favorite pasta is Bucatini with a creamy sea urchin sauce, homemade focaccia and topped with creamy mascarpone cheese on the side.

Tell me a little bit about your restaurant for our readers.

We are bringing extremely high-quality ingredients with an old-world method of a slow rise and high hydration of the dough. While our next-generation pizza is inspired by Neapolitan and Roman tradition, it shatters the paradigms of both. Using the highest water content, longest proofing process and most authentic Italian ingredients, ours is the lightest, most digestible and purely-delicious pizza you'll ever eat. While we let our dough rise for over 2 days, it gets served in seconds when you're on the go! My favorite dishes on the menu are my award-winning meatballs and our signature Prova pizza topped with burrata, prosciutto and truffle oil - my most favorite ingredients!

Editor's Note: We had the opportunity to visit Prova Pizzabar recently and it was fantastic. Stay tuned to Broadwayworld.com Food and Wine for a feature on this new Italian Food lovers spot!

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