{"id":14007,"date":"2017-03-01T09:20:44","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T08:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/?p=14007"},"modified":"2019-07-21T11:58:53","modified_gmt":"2019-07-21T09:58:53","slug":"a-quartet-of-sicilian-restaurants-including-the-most-famous-of-los-angeles-here-come-the-drago-brothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/a-quartet-of-sicilian-restaurants-including-the-most-famous-of-los-angeles-here-come-the-drago-brothers\/","title":{"rendered":"A quartet of sicilian restaurants, including the most famous of Los Angeles: here come the Drago Brothers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fratelli<\/a>Born in Galati, Mamentino<\/strong> (Messina), Tanino, Calogero, Celestino and Giacomino<\/strong> immigrated to the United States in the late 70\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Growing up in a family which has always cultivated their own vegetables, produced propio wine, fresh cheeses, and with an incredibly talented mother in the kitchen, how could they not inherit a great passion for good Italian food?
\nAfter studying at the \u201cGiarre Catania\u201d Culinary School, one by one they moved to America to launch their careers in the restaurant industry.
\nA look at their number of restaurants will prove just how very successful they are \u2013 the Drago empire now consists of:
\nCelestino<\/strong>
\n Drago \u2013 at the Peterson Museum<\/strong>
\n Il Pastaio<\/strong>
\n Il Buco<\/strong>
\n Via Alloro<\/strong>
\n Piccolo Paradiso \u2013 all of which are located in Beverly Hills<\/strong>
\n Il Segreto \u2013 Bel Air<\/strong>
\n Tanino\u2019s Ristorante \u2013 Westwood<\/strong>
\n Drago Centro \u2013 DTLA<\/strong>
\n Panzanella \u2013 Sherman Oaks<\/strong>
\n And, of course \u201cDolce Forno Bakery\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0,Pastries which they are famously known for.
\nWow!<\/p>\n

\"Tanino<\/a>Tanino, tell us how and when you arrived in the USA. How did you start your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My oldest brother Celestino Drago came to the United States in 1979, opening his first restaurant in 1985, in Beverly Hills. From there, Calogero, Giacomino and myself followed in our brother\u2019s footsteps and we began working together. In 1991 \u201cDrago Ristorante was opened, and in 1993 we opened \u201cIl Pastaio\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCelestino\u201d in Pasadena opened in 1995, and in 1997 \u201cIl Buco\u201d opened its doors.<\/em>
\n \u201cTanino\u2019s\u201d Later opened in 1998, with \u201cPiccolo Paradiso\u201d opening in Beverly Hills in 1999.<\/em>
\n After several years we opened \u201cVia Alloro\u201d and \u201cDrago Centro\u201d along with \u201cIl Segreto\u201d and \u201c<\/em>
\n Panzanella\u201d and, our latest addition was this past year opening \u201cDrago\u201d at the Peterson Museum.<\/em>
\n Since the beginning, it has been a wonderful journey.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Tanino<\/a>You moved to the US as a teenager, so it may be considered that you are more American than Italian. How strong have your ties remained with Italy and our beloved Sicily?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was 19 when I arrived to the USA. I grew up in Sicily, and no matter where I go or how long I am gone, my priority is and always will be my culture \u2013 being Sicilian.<\/em>
\n For the last 27 years, I return to Sicily every single year for two months \u2013 Sicily always inspires and motivates me to do more in bringing our beautiful culture to the rest of the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

You are pioneers of Italian Cuisine in the USA, along with personalities such as Piero Selvaggio. Today you are considered among the greatest exponents in American restaurants. How does it feel to have brought the \u201cArt of Italian Cooking\u201d into American Culture?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t easy to educate the American People , however my brother Celestino was among the pioneers of Italian Cuisine in Los Angeles, and more so in 1991, when he opened \u201cDrago Ristorante\u201d .<\/em>
\n We introduced authentic Sicilian specialties to 30% of our menu: \u201cSpaghetti Bottarga\u201d (Pasta with sardines), eggplant cooked in many different ways and Couscous- among many other dishes- was on our menu. This was a big success and our guests really appreciated what we were doing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Fratelli<\/a>Celestino is considered by \u201cFood and Wine\u201d among the top 10 chefs in the USA, but the key to your successes is said to be linked to the uniqueness given by each of you to your dishes , which is required by the different personalities and demanding customers of Los Angeles \u2013 I have seen it for myself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My brother Celestino \u2013 what can I say? Being one of the top ten chefs in the United States, I cannot be more proud to not only call him my brother, but my role model. I cannot tell you what a privilege it is to have learnt everything I know from him.<\/em><\/p>\n

How does it feel to have celebrity guests such as Nicole Kidman, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone (to name a few) frequently dine at your restaurants? Do you feel intimidated, or has it become normality?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Fratelli<\/a>We live in the celebrity capital of the world, so it is inevitable that celebrities will dine with us \u2013 from American actors, directors, producers, musicians \u2013 you name it \u2013 to of course great Italian actors and celebrities from all around the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

Commitment, dedication and attachment to their origins is what emerges in all Scelte di Gusto International\u2019 interviews<\/strong> and certainly has been the key to the Drago Brother\u2019s<\/strong> success. Point of reference of the Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles and who knows if one day we will find their names on the Hollywood Walk of Fame<\/strong>! Bravi!<\/p>\n

Tiziana Ciacciofera Triolo<\/strong> for<\/p>\n

SdG International<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Note : The photos are the sole property and courtesy of the Drago’s \u00a0Brothers. \u00a0Any unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Born in Galati, Mamentino (Messina), Tanino, Calogero, Celestino and Giacomino immigrated to the United States in the late 70\u2019s. Growing up in a family which has always cultivated their own vegetables, produced propio wine, fresh cheeses, and with an incredibly talented mother in the kitchen, how could they not inherit a great passion for good […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":14009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8511,1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Fratelli-Drago-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14007"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14007"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14018,"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14007\/revisions\/14018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sceltedigusto.it\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}