Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Spaghetti dish with a fall twist
Claire Perez offers Village Tavern’s popular spaghetti squash recipe.
Q. Long a fan of your weekly column and hints. I am now requesting Village Tavern’s recipe for Spaghetti squash. Thanks for your help. -- Ruth Levine, Boynton Beach
A. The original Village Tavern (1880 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561-853-0280, villagetavern.com) opened its doors in Winston Salem, N.C., in 1984. Ten locations followed with two South Florida spots in Boynton Beach and Pembroke Pines and an international presence in Manila, Philippines.
“The spaghetti squash and zucchini has been on the menu since the beginning. It’s one of our signature, staple vegetarian options listed under Tavern Specialties,” said Robert Currier, general manager and 14-year employee.
Currier opened the Boynton Beach location 8 years ago before heading west to a Colorado outpost. He recently relocated back to Boynton Beach just in time for a mild winter.
Ryan Sellitti started at Village Tavern as a teenager in high school washing dishes. Sellitti enrolled in the culinary arts program at SouthTech Academy in Boynton Beach and was immediately drawn to the industry. Nine years later, he’s worked his way through all the stations and now takes the lead as chef and kitchen manager. Sellitti says the squash dish is popular among vegetarians and carnivores.
“Our diners who typically are meat lovers try the squash and are amazed at how flavorful and satisfying it is,” he said. “The eye appeal draws a lot of attention, too. It’s colorful with squash, broccoli, zucchini and peppers. The vegetables are layered very high on the plate making a beautiful presentation.”
And as we all know, we eat first with our eyes.