JUPITER, Fla. (CBS12) — Chef Michael Rolchigo is bringing fine dining, flavor, and family to the town of Jupiter.
He opened his restaurant, Tavolena, two years ago, and it is rooted in family tradition.
Every person who walks through the door is treated to classic Italian cuisine with some recipes that date back decades and a chance to eat dinner at his grandmother’s original kitchen table that has been in the family for more than 70 years.
“I probably decided right at this table one day, really, unconsciously, that I was going to be a chef,” Michael admits while sitting at his grandma’s table. “I cooked with my grandmother, and unconsciously, probably picked my career right here at a young age.”
He’s been a chef for more than 40 years, a career that took off after he finished studying at the Culinary Institute of America in New York under some of the best in the business.
But it’s his first teacher, his grandmother Lena, who he credits for his love of cooking.
She’s also the inspiration behind his restaurant in Jupiter called Tavolena, which translates to “Lena’s Table.”
Now he’s sharing the table that once sat in his grandma’s apartment upstairs from him with the whole community.
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“I think at this time, everybody needed to get back to family and, you know, home values and sitting at the table again and eating dinner, I think American families kind of got away from that” he says. “So, I think when people come through the door here and see this table, it brings them back to that time, and everybody really enjoys this, and it brings back a special memory for me.”
His hope is that others will come in and create their own memories at Grandma’s table, tucked back in a private room filled with old pictures of Michael and his wife Lisa, his parents, his grandparents, and his two kids.
“My son, who’s the great-grandson of Lena, waits on his table every single night. Nobody touches his table, so he’s your waiter every night.”
And in the kitchen, you’ll find Chef Michael, whipping up Grandma’s meatballs, exactly the way she used to make them, and preparing the Sunday sauce, his favorite dish to cook with Lena.
“That was probably one of our biggest meals, because we cooked that every Sunday, the meatballs, the sausage, pork, meat, all cooked in the tomato sauce.”
“I was the youngest child, so when I was born, my mom had to go back to work, so every morning I remember her shipping me upstairs, and I’d land on the couch and watch cartoons,” he says. “I could smell the the aromas of whatever my grandmother was cooking. So we became close, and then my career, well, my my passion, started with cooking with her at a young age, even desserts and pastries and cookies and all that stuff.”
Michael is also a pastry chef and recently expanded to open a bakery next door to the restaurant.
Inside, you can order sandwiches and pastries made fresh every day, and authentic homemade desserts.
Chef Michael says he knows Lena would be very proud if she could see where he was now, sharing her recipes and a seat at her table.
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Dining and Cooking