Italian food, and forget the cliches
Like many Italians travelling overseas, Nicolo` Vogliotti’s first job in New Zealand was making pizza. Then one day he saw a chance to do something more.
Vogliotti’s Toret Cucina Italiana restaurant in akura is now recognised as one of Taranaki’s best and the Northern Italian man credits its authenticity for its success.
``The idea at the beginning was let’s do an Italian restaurant that doesn’t use the stereotypes and bastardise the dishes. Let’s do something original,’’ he said.
You won’t find Kiwi favourite carbonara cooked with runny cream, but rather a risotto alla pescatora (risotto with seafood). Forget about lasagne, but you will find pappardelle ai funghi (homemade pasta with mushrooms).
It’s good enough to be named outstanding restaurant and best regional establishment at the Taranaki Hospitality Awards earlier this month.
Vogliotti’s journey to restaurant boss began a decade ago. After finishing high school, he trained as a cook in the Northern regions of Italy and then decided to travel.
He came to New Zealand for a second time in 2014 and ended up in Cambridge, where he got a job working as a pizzaiolo, or pizzamaker. It’s also where he met his wife, Katie.
Together they decided to move to Taranaki because she had family connections here and the couple ¯found inoahome kato.
Vogliotti took a job working as a pizzaiolo at New Plymouth’s Ms. White restaurant, and one day in 2020, while travelling home, he nonoticed a restaurant Ōakura was up for lease.
He and Katie decided it was time to open their own restaurant – one that cooked Italian food ``the proper way’’.
``Not to sound cocky, but we are the best Italian restaurant in Taranaki,’’ Vogliotti said.
The informal-looking restaurant resembles a northern Italian osteria (small family-run restaurant) and offers a variety of traditional dishes, such as gnocchi al ragu di cervo (gnocchi with venison ragu) and bombette al taleggio (savoury doughnuts filled with taleggio cheese).
On the walls, newspaper articles celebrate the Italian national football team winning the World Cup four times, alongside maps dating back to 1690 from Vogliotti’s hometown of Torino.
The chef takes the success in his stride, but doesn’t downplay the hard work it’s taken over the last two years, especially opening during Covid-19 restrictions.
``We are positive, the first two years are always tough, but we knew that if we persevered and if we kept serving good food, people would keep coming,’’ he said.
‘‘The idea at the beginning was let’s do an Italian restaurant that doesn’t use the stereotypes.’’
Nicolo` Vogliotti