Peter DeRuvo

Sassi

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Peter DeRuvo, whose first name means "rock" in Italian, thinks it may be fate that led him to Sassi, which means "stones" in the same language. If there's one thing this talented, well-traveled chef knows for sure, it's that he's always dreamed of working in a place as beautiful as Sassi. As the restaurant's new executive chef, he now has the opportunity to make his vision a reality by creating seasonal Southern Italian-inspired dishes that look elegant and refined yet still invoke a sense of comfort. "Our food selection will be more traditional and more fun," says DeRuvo, who brings years of travel and culinary experience to Sassi's splendid table.

DeRuvo graduated in 1991 from Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island, where he earned an AOS in Culinary Arts. He returned to Providence in 2004 to complete his BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management. The years in between, DeRuvo spent traveling and working around the U.S. (including stints in Santa Fe, New Mexico, California, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York). In 1993, when he entered the door of Providence's celebrated Italian restaurant, Al Forno, sporting overalls and a shaved head, little did he know he would be learning skills and a philosophy about cooking that would sustain him throughout his career.

Husband-and-wife team George Germon and Johanne Killeen (he's a sculptor; she's a photographer), who've won much national acclaim as well as a handful of James Beard awards, taught DeRuvo "the art of tasting," bringing him up through the ranks in a tight-knit culinary community that valued freshness and simplicity. Later, DeRuvo worked under Chez Panisse alum Paul Bertolli, Mike Tusk (who now owns Quince in San Francisco) and Paul Canales at Oliveto in Oakland, California, where he refined his technique and learned that a successful restaurant is "not just about the chef but about the hard-working people surrounding him."

While he was working in the Bay Area, he was introduced to award-winning olive oil producer Albert Katz, who sent him to Tuscany to learn everything he could about olives and olive oil. He spent a year living on the farm and tending the olive groves at Montecastelli, a well-known producer of Italian wines, olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Owners Jens and Ruth Schmidt took DeRuvo under their wing, guiding him through planting, harvesting and pressing. At the same time, DeRuvo was working down the road at Casalta Ristorante, a two-star restaurant owned by Lazzaro Cimodoro. Although Cimodoro was born in Calabria (southern Italy), he was trained in the North. DeRuvo soaked up all he could about both regions.

After his stay in Tuscany, DeRuvo traveled to the French Riviera, where he spent time in Nice, Monaco and Antibes, learning about French picholines (a type of olive) and foraging for morels. DeRuvo, who has also worked at Capital Grille, Gregory's World Bistro, Rancho Pinot and the Marquesa here in the Valley, plans to bring all of his experience to Sassi, "re-creating Italian technique for the American palate."