The story
For decades, the success of Emilio’s Ballato restaurant in Manhattan’s Lower East Side has been unstoppable and unchallenged. Born in Sarno in the 1960s, Emilio Vitolo, owner of the restaurant for more than thirty years, arrived in the Big Apple with his parents in 1969. The early days were certainly not easy for the young Emilio: a metropolis, another continent, another language. “I arrived in America in 1969. I was nine years old. It was a different era. A different America. My family is originally from Sarno (Miezz a’ Croce, he is keen to point out). The impact of New York was not easy. Going from a semi-agricultural village to a metropolis was difficult. There were youth gangs. You had to defend yourself. The city hardens you. I didn’t like school. I spent my days in a pastry shop. Meanwhile, my passion for cooking and food grew. A voice told me, ‘Emilio, you have to do this. Cooking is your profession,’” Emilio confided in an interview with i-Italy a few years ago.
After various experiences in the hospitality industry as an employee, in 1989 Emilio decided to take over Ballato’s, a restaurant opened in 1956 by John Ballato and already frequented by numerous celebrities such as Andy Warhol and John Lennon. The restaurant took the name “Emilio’s Ballato” to remember its origins. “The beginnings were not easy, even though the diners never abandoned this restaurant. The turning point, however, came in 2011. Since then, I haven’t stopped. We’re full every night. Almost all the most famous actors and singers have been to my restaurant (Oprah Winfrey, Janet Jackson, Michael Baldwin, and many others). One evening, Billy Joel came with a journalist from Rolling Stone who had just moved to the New York Times. He took an interest in my story and shortly afterwards I found myself on a page of the New York Times dedicated to me. It was a blessing. That article was a godsend for me. A miracle. A great period followed the article, which continues to this day,” he continues.
Today Emilio runs the restaurant with Emilio Jr, Mario, and Anthony, his three sons; all of them studied to be chefs, but Anthony is particularly dedicated to cooking, says Michelin. Among the restaurant’s most famous dishes, it is essential to mention: Veal Antonio, a thin 470 g veal cutlet, breaded, fried and served with a vodka sauce made with cream, ham, fresh mozzarella and peas; Mozzarella in Carrozza; Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, and Penne Antonio with crumbled spicy pork sausage, peas, cream, and diced cherry tomatoes. The lines in front of the restaurant at 55 E Houston St are endless and last no less than two hours. In fact, it is not possible to make reservations at Emilio’s Ballato, except for the private room used to welcome relatives, friends, and the most loyal customers. Not everyone knows that Emilio and his sons have a “secret” menu, a sort of “speakeasy menu,” which can only be discovered by asking the waiter or chef directly. “We’ll never reveal it. People who know me well go straight into the kitchen at the back and tell me what they want. It’s like I’m a friend cooking for someone who’s come to visit. Sometimes I think I might go crazy with all these extra orders, but I fulfill every request.”
The dishes and flavors of southern Italy are undoubtedly a key component of the Vitolo restaurant’s success, but equally important have been and continue to be Emilio’s character and determination and the values he has passed on to his children. “I never gave up. Not even in the darkest moments. Sometimes, for long periods, I didn’t take my pay, but then the results came. Passion, determination, and courtesy towards customers. If you don’t love something, you shouldn’t do it. You’re bound to fail. I am the restaurant. This is my life. It’s the only thing I know how to do, and I’ll keep doing it. I am a winner. I’m glad I was born poor. Poverty gave me incredible drive. And I bless America for giving me success.”