Sizing up Massimo De Francesca, you might think he’s spent his life cooking in Florence, Naples or Tuscany, steeped in the culinary traditions of his native land. Instead, De Francesca — now the executive chef of Arlington’s sky-high Domaso Trattoria Moderna on the fourth floor of the Hotel Palomar — is a Canadian native, born and raised in Toronto.
But don’t let that fool you: This young chef may be Canadian, but he grew up in an all-Italian, all-foodie household and is passionate about Italian cooking. Raised by parents who had emigrated from southern Italy, De Francesca learned at a very early age to prepare and appreciate the authentic cuisine of his parents’ homeland, cooking alongside his parents in their home kitchen.
“My dad was very particular about what he ate,” De Francesca says. “He often cooked for himself. He created his own kitchen outside with a grill. I was exposed to that at an early age,” he said, adding that his dad also hunted, gathered wild mushrooms and fished for fresh catch from local lakes. His mother, meanwhile, excelled in making pastas and risottos and triumphed over her freshly picked vegetables right out of her back garden.
Working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant while in high school may have further whetted his appetite for the culinary world.
Whatever his incentive, De Francesca enrolled in the George Brown College Culinary Arts School in Toronto, where he completed a degree in hospitality operations.
After he finished an apprenticeship in culinary arts, he relocated to the Adriatic Coast in Rimini, Italy, where he honed his professional culinary skills by learning firsthand about his native cuisine. He also was fortunate to train with Michelin-star chef Vincenzo Cammerucci at Lido Ristorante in the port town of Cesenatico, Italy, which added a little gloss to his training.
Upon returning to Toronto several years later, De Francesca worked in several high-end hotel restaurants, before fleeing the fierce Canadian winters for the Caribbean, where for four years he worked in the Grand Cayman in hotels and privately owned restaurants. Besides soaking up the sun and local Caribbean culture, De Francesca garnered a significant cooking advantage.
“The island is multicultural,” he says. “Besides the European and American influences, I cooked with people from India and the Philippines. I learned how to cut up fresh fruit from trees, and developed a great relationship with local fishermen. … I learned to fillet fresh fish and mastered those techniques with 70-pound tunas and wahoos.”
Coming back to what he calls the “real world,” De Francesca eventually came on staff at Domaso, a restaurant that boasts a contemporary Italian menu. Well suited to this challenge, De Francesca describes his cooking as “Fritalian,” a robust melding of French and Italian flavors and techniques. But he nonetheless admits to injecting some Caribbean influences into his food — for example, by cooking fruits in savory ways and by pairing them with or simply marinating them together raw to make ceviche.
Does he have any regrets, perhaps harboring a secret fantasy to be a beachcomber? Yes, cooking is a challenging career, he admits, but despite the long hours, he’s in the kitchen because he loves it.
If you go
Domaso Trattoria Moderna
1121 N. 19th St., Arlington
703-351-1211
Hours: Breakfast, Mon.-Sun., 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; Lunch, Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner Mon.-Fri., 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Q&A with Chef Massimo De Francesca
What is your most outstanding kitchen memory?
Doing a charity dinner for Andrea Bocelli [Italian classical tenor]. He came into the kitchen and we cooked a dinner for him. After the meal, he performed a concert right in the dining room.
Do you cook at home?
I’m rarely there. If we do get a day off, I don’t cook, except maybe simple things like soup and sandwiches.
What is your comfort food?
A good pizza of any kind, even from Domino’s. It can do the trick.
What are your tips for successful cooking?
It’s to be simply risky. Don’t complicate a recipe, but introduce certain ingredients not normally paired together, such as spaghetti carbonara garnished with a raw quail yolk.
Where do you get your inspirations?
The region where I am cooking has a lot to do with it. Here in the Chesapeake, there is seafood and a lot of what Virginia has to offer.
From the Chef’s Kitchen
Chocolate Mousse with Italian Dolce Gorgonzola Cheese and Espresso
Serves 4 to 6
This recipe may sound intimidating, but it really is quite simple. Note: the bowls must be clean, cold and free of any egg yolks or other particles. If not, the egg whites and heavy cream will not froth properly. Liquid egg yolks and liquid egg whites may substituted for fresh eggs. This may be more convenient but not superior in results. Look for the chocolate discs, or chocolate pistils, which are easy to melt, in Dean & Deluca, Whole Foods and Balducci’s. Chocolate nibs may also be available in these stores.
9 oz. semisweet chocolate discs (60 to 64 percent)
4 large eggs
4 oz. (1/2 stick) butter at room temperature
4 Tablespoons brewed espresso
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 oz. sweet Gorgonzola cheese
Fresh raspberries for garnish
Fresh blackberries for garnish
Fresh mint or micro-mint for garnish
Cocoa nibs for garnish
Finely ground espresso for garnish
Prepared caramel sauce for drizzling
Fill one-quarter of medium-sized saucepan with water and heat over medium heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat to low. Put the chocolate discs into a stainless steel bowl, and set the bowl over the simmering water to begin to melt the chocolate; stir often.
Separate the eggs, and put the egg whites into a clean and chilled bowl, and keep cool. When the chocolate has melted, stir in the egg yolks, butter and espresso. Whisk for 3 to 5 minutes, and when thickened, set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Pour the heavy cream into a chilled bowl, and whisk until it forms stiff peaks. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold one-third of the egg whites gently into the chocolate. Fold in one-third of the whipped cream; repeat until all the egg whites and cream are incorporated.
Pour the mixture into crème brûlée molds or other ramekins, and refrigerate for at least 8, up to 12, hours. To serve, cut the Gorgonzola into thin slivers and place them on individual serving plates around the ramekins. Garnish the mousse with the berries, mint, nibs and ground espresso. Drizzle caramel sauce over top. Enjoy with port or aged sherry at the end of a meal.
