BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) – This spot prides alone on its Italian food stuff, so getting 1 restaurant gain four of the 5 classes in an Italian sauce contest is remarkable. It transpired this past weekend at the Southern Park Shopping mall.
On Thursday, First News learned the secrets and techniques behind the sauces at Papa GeGe’s Italian Villa in Boardman.
Papa GeGe is Eugene Razzano.
“I’m making fettuccine alfredo. It was 1 of the dishes the judges appreciated,” Razzano said.
Initially News Anchor/Reporter Stan Boney was amid the judges at the Sunday Sauce Showdown at the Southern Park Shopping mall where by Papa GeGe’s Italian Villa competed from nine other dependable Italian Places to eat and won initially prize in four of five classes: standard, alfredo, bolognese and vodka.
The Italian restaurant is found on Route 224 across from the Stores at Boardman Park.
“Actually, it was just mind-boggling. I just started significant-fiving my employees. I just mentioned, ‘This is remarkable,’” Razzano reported.
Razzano is the owner and chef guiding what are now the most embellished Italian sauces in the Mahoning Valley. For 20 a long time, he owned Sghetti’s Italian Cafe in New Castle ahead of shifting to Boardman eight yrs back.
“I like to be in the kitchen area. I favored to observe my grandmother cook. I preferred to enjoy my mother prepare dinner, and I just have a factor for it. I like to do it,” he stated.
Razzano is so in contact with his Italian roots, the restaurant’s dining spot is lined with vintage pictures of his spouse and children.
“Well, that’s my terrific uncle Ludovic and my excellent uncle Frank — that’s my maternal grandmother’s brothers,” he mentioned.
But the foodstuff is the reason people today appear to Papa GeGe’s Italian Villa — the strategies of which commence with high-quality components.
“We use extra virgin olive oil, Pecorino Roman cheese. We get huge wheels, 60-pound wheels, each 7 days and we grind it new. We use imported pasta. We use one particular of the finest tomato items on the marketplace,” Rozzano mentioned.
When the simple sauces are made, the relaxation falls into place. The vodka sauce is half alfredo and fifty percent marinara.
“The similar point with our bolognese. We use the foundation sauce of our marinara, and we set our meat mix in there and that is how we have our bolognese,” Rozzano stated.
At the Sunday Sauce Showdown, judges have been offered sauces by amount, not by restaurant, so they had no notion who’s sauce they have been ingesting.
Papa GeGe’s Italian Villa is also setting up to open up a next place in Oct in New Middletown.
It was earlier regarded as the Italian Village but the name was changed about a calendar year in the past.