Life with: Joey Scalabrino
Life with: Joey Scalabrino
Joey Scalabrino simply loves to cook. Since graduating high school, he has found a great lust for gathering friends and people he loves around a table and cook for them. The owner of pizza restaurant Leo and Apollo Bagels, both in Manhattan, New York City, talks about what has shaped him as a chef and his cooking philosophy.
Text by Ditlev Fejerskov, Photos by Luis Garcia
Joey wears ANOTHER Shirt 2.0, Sand (What influenced you as a child?
Growing up in Manhattan, New York City in the 90’s I was exposed to so much. My family wasn't necessarily creative or into art, but I was very drawn to the visuals of New York from an early age. Graffiti, art galleries and all the restaurants around Manhattan. It was such a visually stimulating place to live. I drew a lot as a kid, I loved to draw these places that didn’t necessarily exist and to design how I wanted a room to look like. Everything I loved as a kid I somehow get to be part of now. When I cook, and when I draw and design a new restaurant.
Where did you get the interest in food and cooking from?
When I graduated high school, I started to get exposed to some cuisines I never had as a kid. My first kitchen job was at a very popular Mexican restaurant, and up until that point in my life, I don't think I'd really had Mexican food. It felt very new and exciting, and it made me curious, and I started to try cooking for myself and my friends. It was a nice way to have a community. A table of food you made yourself for the once you love just seemed really appealing to me. And when I realized how people gravitated towards good food, I knew I could make a career out of it.
Joey wears ANOTHER Shirt 1.0, Sky Blue Stripe (see more)
What have been some of the most memorable moments with cooking in your life?
I don't know if I can pick one moment, but cooking, this thing that I love, has brought me so much. To strange corners of the world like Shenzhen in China, to learn how to make bread at one of my favorite bakeries in the in the world, Lille Bakery in Copenhagen. To cook at the most incredible restaurant, Le Saint Eutrope, in Auvergne in France, for one of my idols Harry Lester, who’s an amazing chef. I’ve met some incredible people over the years either cooking with or for them. Just being able to make a living in this industry has been a dream come true.
Why did you want to open your own place?
Leo started with the idea of a simple pizza restaurant that we felt was missing in New York at the time. Great food and wine, simple interior, and affordable price point. It’s evolved so much over the past five years, but I think it’s really stuck to its values the whole time.
What inspired you?
After a few trips to Europe, we saw a change in how people were opening restaurants and how young people wanted to eat. The dining room design became much simpler and more casual with the wine fridge in the dining room, and you grab it, and we open it for you, kind of vibe. We wanted a canteen where it was always easy to grab a table and eat some simple food.
Why did you choose the style of the food, you did?
At my first trip to Copenhagen 11 years ago, I tried all these amazing breads. There was something going on there at the time where sourdough bread was really dark baked. Breads were having a moment, and everybody was doing an incredible version of it. It was wonderful just to be exposed to a bakery culture which we at the time in New York definitely didn't have and almost still to this day don't quite have. Then I got back, and I was like: I have to learn how to make this. This eventually turned into a love for pizza making and then bagels. It’s something that came naturally to me, so I stuck with it.
Joey wears ANOTHER Overshirt 2.0, Leaf (see more) & ANOTHER Jeans 1.0, Faded Black (see more)
What is your philosophy when it comes to cooking?
These days I think about actual nutrition and how you feel after eating. It’s always been important to me but more than ever now. I try to cook as clean as possible and make things lighter where I can. Even with the bagels, the idea was to make an airy digestible bagel, same thing with the pizza. It's from the ingredients to the techniques we use to make it all as light as possible.
What do you love about cooking?
It’s been a wonderful journey to learn about so many things. Learning about other cultures, business, leadership, how to formulate ideas and to act on them. I’ve been able to use cooking to dabble in other things on an amateur level. I love shopping for nice ingredients and cooking a simple meal at home, it’s incredibly restorative for me. I simply just love to cook, and I would still do it every day if I wasn’t doing it professionally.
What inspires you?
I read a lot of nonfiction about so many subjects. I’m into Seth Godin, who writes about marketing. I read books on meditation, leadership, sports. I love sports. I grew up playing sports, and I idolized some of these basketball and soccer players. I've always been curious about their practices and the way they pursuit their goals. I try to stay outside of my little bubble as much as possible to see the bigger picture. It helps me stay creative and apply some new perspective to my field.
