Mangiamo!

"I love creating food memories with people,” says Chef Phillip Raspanti, as he works prepping a recipe in one of the stunning kitchens at Sub-Zero Inc.’s new state-of-the-art Roslyn Heights Showroom on Long Island. “If they taste something I’ve made and it reminds them of something from their childhood or a favorite meal, it often times inspires my next menu.”

Bringing more than 20 years of culinary expertise to his job as Corporate Chef at both the Roslyn Heights and Manhattan showrooms, Raspanti delights in teaching guests how to prepare restaurant-style dishes at home using Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances.

Raspanti’s own food memories began in his mother’s kitchen in Queens, New York, where he grew up as the son of Italian immigrants. “We are so deeply Italian that my mom would even make lasagna on Thanksgiving,” he says. “She would make arancini di riso (rice balls) for my birthday every year. She made them the size of softballs and fried them one at a time in a little pot. She still will make them for me from time to time. Talk about a labor of love!"

As a teenager, Raspanti’s first job was in the kitchen of a local pizzeria. When he learned that a coworker was attending restaurant school, he thought to himself. “That is something I definitely want to try.”

After studying psychology in college for a year, he transferred to a restaurant school in downtown Manhattan and never looked back. Following graduation, he was hired as a prep cook in the kitchen of the mass media company Condé Nast, serving lunch to discerning publishing titans like Anna Wintour, the legendary editor of Vogue. “I would make espresso ice cream for her each week, even if she was out of the country, just in case she flew in on the red-eye and wanted to hold a meeting in the dining room,” he says. It was remarkably effective training in the correct way to run a meticulously organized kitchen.

After Condé Nast, Raspanti became an Executive Chef at the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Manhattan. He flexed his culinary chops by directing a team that prepared daily meals for hundreds of people. “That job really grew me into where I am today,” he says. “I used to prepare food for heads of state at the G20 Summit and other high-end events. I had to be super detail-oriented and really listen to understand different guests’ dietary needs.”

The ability to carefully learn about customers’ lifestyles has proven beneficial for Raspanti’s current job with Sub-Zero Group. He delights in showing customers how to get the most out of the appliances they’ve invested in—whether it’s how to caramelize scallops using Wolf’s patented Wolf’s Dual Stacked Burners or make fresh pita bread with the Wolf Bake Stone Kit.

“I show our customers the benefits and versatility of each of our appliances from a chef’s point of view,” he explains. After home installation is complete, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove customers are invited back for a demonstration of using and maintaining their appliances.

Each of Raspanti’s demonstrations is structured around a creative and elegant multi-course meal. He cooks for up to 36 guests, curating menus that are attuned to the seasons. Like many of his Roslyn Heights customers, he and his wife live on Long Island, and he is particular about selecting ingredients that are locally produced whenever possible and he enjoys discovering the many great farms in the area.

Dressed in his signature black double-breasted chef’s coat, Raspanti is in constant motion. “I love to demonstrate the vacuum seal drawer feature,” he says, holding up a bag of freshly pickled cherries. “I took vinegar, sugar, and water, combined them in a bag with the cherries, and vacuum sealed them. I was able to achieve a very quick pickle.” The process can be used, he says, for marinating rib-eye steaks for a big holiday cookout in the Hamptons or freezing perfect proportions of wild-caught salmon for a quick weeknight dinner for two in a Manhattan high rise. As a New York chef, he understands how the region eats and cooks.

When he’s not in the showrooms, Raspanti likes to take his son to Mets’ games, the hometown favorites, or join his wife to enjoy wine tasting in the vineyards of Long Island. There, he will search for the perfect vintage to accompany each menu he will prepare and serve to Sub-Zero showroom guests.

As a seasonally attuned chef, Raspanti adapts his menus throughout the year. For winter recipes, he leans into root vegetables like butternut and acorn squash, pomegranate, celery root, and parsnips. “For example, I like to make a beautiful burrata salad with a savory butternut squash granola,” he says. “I garnish the cheese with pomegranate seeds and pomegranate molasses and marinated winter squash.” It’s adding these playful twists to traditional menu items that excites Raspanti the most. “I like to do fun pairings,” he says. “I hope to delight and inspire the Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove consumer.”