Seth Kingsbury, Pazzo!

Reprinted with permission from the Raleigh News and Observer, May 23, 2004

Seth Kingsbury went to work in Nana's kitchen straight out of high school in 1992. He planned to go to culinary school, but Nana's chef Scott Howell and Magnolia Grill chef Ben Barker persuaded him to get a hands-on education. He headed to San Francisco, where he worked with Jeremiah Tower at Stars, then returned to the Triangle to -- among others -- Magnolia Grill, Pop's (another Howell restaurant) and Nana's as chef de cuisine. Last fall he opened Pazzo.

The food at his casual Italian eatery shows a thorough knowledge of technique. It also shows the influence of his mentors, particularly Howell. Risotto with silver queen corn, asparagus and gorgonzola could easily be an offering at Nana's, where risotto is a trademark dish. And his fritto misto of shrimp and calamari with spicy aioli would fit right in at Pop's. Kingsbury shows ideas of his own, too, with double-cut pork with onions agrodolce and trout stuffed with olives and house-marinated artichoke hearts, roasted to crisp-skinned perfection in the restaurant's brick oven. And to show that his fancy education hasn't gone to his head, Kingsbury turns out a mean pizza, too.