Vito Vernia, owner of Leopold Street’s recently opened Italian dining spot Grazie, invited Exposed into the family-run restaurant and spoke to us about his dream-come-true of putting authentic Puglian cuisine on the map in the Steel City.
Could you tell us a bit about your journey leading up to this point?
I have been involved in this type of environment since I was 13-years-old, whether that’s working in restaurants or hotels. When I moved to the UK I eventually started working at Piccolino, Sheffield, and later I became general manager; but it was always my dream to run my own restaurant, just as my family do in my hometown in Puglia. When this spot became available it felt right as it was small, manageable and in a great location.
How did you go about deciding on what to focus on with the menu?
So nowadays people travel a lot more, and Italy is of course popular, so many will now know the difference between real, authentic Italian food and dishes that just have an Italian twist added. We’ve had nice comments where people have told us the dishes have made them feel just like they were back in Italy, which is great feedback for us.
We specialise in fresh pasta, and a lady who comes from my village makes it here every day. We do three shapes – orrechiette, cavatelli and long pasta – and the menu isn’t huge but we prefer to focus on quality and fresh produce so we can perfect the dishes. When you go into a lot of Italian chain restaurants you find a lot of classic dishes – the carbonara, the bolognese, etc – but we are focused on food and dishes from Puglia, which can be very different to what people might usually expect.
Are there any particular favourites standing out so far?
My favourite is probably the seafood pasta, Sapore di Mare, and that’s been getting some great feedback from customers. It’s a traditional recipe with homemade cavatelli and mussels, prawns, squid and it’s a very nice, flavoursome dish. There’s a pasta dish with slow-cooked lamb and our special homemade sugo sauce that’s also been popular. Oh, and the meatballs – people are obsessed with the meatballs!
What about the team – who’s joined you on this journey?
There are four of us: me and my brother on front of house, the head chef who used to work with me at Piccolino, and the lady from my town who makes the pasta. It’s important for us to be a close, family-run business.
What does it mean to you to be opening this restaurant here in Sheffield?
It means a lot. This city has given me a lot of opportunities and all of my biggest steps have been taken in Sheffield. Grazie means ‘thank you’ and it’s my way of passing that message back to the city.
The brunch menu is served from 10am till 4pm. Find Grazie at 1-3 Leopold St, S1 2GY. // Tel: 07308 028864 // graziesheffield.co.uk
