Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone met at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Torrisi went on to cut his teeth with such masters as chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Daniel Boulud, Andrew Carmellini, Guy Savoy, and Michel Troisgros. Carbone, for his part, has worked for Mario Batali, Mark Ladner, Boulud, and Wylie Dufresne. In 2009, after achieving much success at their respective restaurants, Torrisi left Carmellini’s A Voce and Carbone walked away from Batali’s Del Posto to team up on Torrisi Italian Specialties, a deli by day and prix fixe dinner in the evenings. Critical acclaim followed.
That’s when Jeff Zalaznick—who after stints in investment banking and founding two successful food sites (alwayshungryny.com and dineprivate.com) wanted to get into the restaurant business—stopped in. “I was excited about what they were doing,” he says. “The three of us quickly got to know each other and realized that we had the same dreams and visions for what we wanted to create, so we decided to partner up and do it together.”
Enter Major Food Group, which since 2010 has launched multiple restaurants, mostly in New York, that have garnered numerous stars and awards, and a cult-like following. There’s Parm, an Italian-American casual restaurant and sandwich shop; Carbone, a throwback to old school fine dining red sauce Italian restaurants (first in New York, and now Hong Kong and Las Vegas); ZZ’s Clam Bar; bistro Dirty French in the Ludlow Hotel, the trio’s first foray into French cuisine; Santina, a coastal Italian restaurant underneath the High Line park; and Sadelle’s bagel-led bakery and restaurant.
Young, adventurous, and addicted to creating great food and restaurants, the trio is just getting started. We caught up with Zalaznick, who shares their early beginnings and what’s in store, including the redo of New York’s landmarked Four Seasons Restaurant.
What did you want to create with Major Food Group?
Our company goal is to create food that is delicious, to create places that are fun, and to tell a complete story. We take a lot of pride in making sure that all of these elements are encapsulated in every restaurant we create and that every restaurant we open has its own unique identity.
How did the idea for Parm come about?
Parm grew out of the original daytime menu at Torrisi Italian Specialties. We then moved it next door and created a larger concept around what was a very classic Italian-American sandwich menu. We added other dishes and design elements that celebrated the New York Italian lifestyle.
Three years after opening, Carbone is still one of the hardest tables to book in New York. Why does it resonate with guests?
The food is delicious, it is fun, and it tells a complete, multifaceted story. We work hard to continue to make Carbone better and better and evolve this very special product every day.
The blue paneled dining room at Carbone, a collaboration with architect Glen Coben.
Why did you decide to try your hand at French fare in your first hotel project with Dirty French?
Rich loves cooking French food and we’re all very passionate about French food, but we wanted to spice it up and do it our own way. We also felt that the concept worked well with the history of the neighborhood [New York’s Lower East Side] as well as the hotel concept. We chose the Ludlow as our first venture in a hotel because it’s an exciting neighborhood and our partners who own it—Sean MacPherson, Ira Drukier, and Richard Born—are the best hoteliers in New York, and people we always wanted to work with.
The dining room at Dirty French in the Ludlow hotel, crafted with hotelier Sean MacPherson.
Santina—an amazing location and building by Renzo Piano under the High Line. How did you get involved in that project?
We worked our asses off to win the competition to get that space. At that time, we were the underdogs. We only had Torrisi and Parm. We were playing against all the biggest guys in New York, so it was a big victory for us to open a restaurant in this very significant space.
Santina is coastal Italian because the location used to be the coast of Manhattan, before it was landfilled, and it used to be the site of one of New York’s main greenmarkets. Thus, we wanted to focus on fish and vegetables to celebrate the history of the location.
Santina, with architecture by Renzo Piano and design by Thomas Schlesser.
Guests’ tastes are changing, for both casual and fine dining restaurants. How are you responding?
Hopefully, we’re paving the road for the way that people currently like to eat. It meshes well with our style. People want great food, but they also want to have a great time. They don’t want stuffy restaurants. They want places that reflect the passion and dedication of the people who run it.
Where does design fit into your process? How involved are you?
Design is critical. Until recently, we designed [most of] our restaurants ourselves. We have also worked with some great collaborators, but even when we work with others, we are very involved with choosing every detail. We never hand over our spaces to other people and let them do whatever they want, which is too common in this business. We collaborated with Sean MacPherson at Dirty French. We had the opportunity to work with Piano at Santina, and we also worked with Thomas Schlesser on that project. We love working with Ken Fulk. He designed Sadelle’s and Carbone Vegas. We have very good synergy and we see things in the same way. Currently, we are working with Annabelle Selldorf on the restoration of the former Four Seasons space in [New York’s] Seagram Building, which was designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. Our goal is to restore this historic landmark space and bring it back to life in [various] ways. We are also incredibly excited about the new restaurant that we are designing with Peter Marino, which will also be located in the Seagram Building. We have had an incredible experience working with [him], and we are creating something very special together.
What are some of your favorite design highlights in the restaurants?
The Godfather-inspired black and white tile floors at Carbone; the vintage 1950s wallpaper at ZZ’s; the Murano glass chandeliers at Santina; the neon sign at Dirty French; and the bagel theater at Sadelle’s.
You have devoted followers—what have been some secrets to success?
Hiring people who love what they do and are excited about doing it, and giving them the opportunity to let their personalities shine and connect with the guests.
Restaurants are all about the details. How do you ensure perfection?
Every single detail is looked at over and over again by the three of us until we have something that we are all happy with. This includes every aspect—food, service, music, uniforms, design, tableware, artwork, etc.
What’s the one thing you would do away with in a restaurant?
Tasting menus only.
