Italian dancer, actor and director Cesare Vangieli combines his two passions, cooking and dance, in his new Hell's Kitchen restaurant, FOODANCE.
Cesare and her husband, Kevin Battista, first decided to open a restaurant two years ago when they started serving food at the Holiday Market at Columbus Circle. “We found that people liked Italian food and they liked talking to us,” Cesare says. “We like interacting with people and making them happy.”
Cesare has been doing this for the past few years. Swing Tomatois a show in which he and other performers tap dance onstage while preparing food.
FOODANCE had its soft opening at 468 W47th Street (formerly the location of Meske Ethiopian Restaurant) at the end of May, and Cesare has been busy auditioning dancers, singers, burlesque and “boylesque” performers and more to develop original shows.
“Seeing people and artists gives me ideas,” Cesare said.
What will the show be like? “It may be a surprise,” he teased. “I like to surprise my guests, and if I explained everything to you now, you wouldn't be surprised and you wouldn't come.” There may be some drag, but Cesare promises it will definitely be different from other shows in the neighborhood.
The restaurant has an elegant, old-fashioned feel, enhanced by many small decorations such as statuettes, hanging lanterns and rainbow umbrellas. The large windows look out onto Hell's Kitchen Park, offering a glimpse into the FOODANCE stage, complete with grand piano and record player. The logo in the window, featuring Cesare dancing with a tray, was created by his friend, the Venetian artist Dario Cestaro.
To the right of the stage is a hidden “speakeasy” room, decorated with second-hand furniture and photos of performers, including Rudolph Valentino, the famous Italian actor who moved to New York in 1913 and became a Hollywood legend — Cesare hopes to one day create his own musical based on Valentino's life.
The menu features many dishes from Cesare's native Calabria region of southern Italy, including baccala e petate (baccala and potatoes), caponata siciliana and arancini rice balls.
For Cesare, cooking is personal: “I became a chef when I was a child watching my mother, Leda, make tomato sauce on Sundays,” he says. “It's slow-cooked, with whole cloves of garlic in it and then taken out, so it has a subtle but not overpowering flavor.”
He continues to spread his love of cooking by hosting gnocchi cooking classes every Sunday.
Cesare has been in show business for the past 35 years and is the artistic director of his own music school, Laboratorio Italiano Musical in Rome. He first came to Hell's Kitchen in the summer of 2000, when he attended Steps on Broadway Academy to hone his tap dancing skills and has lived in the area for five years. After moving to New York, he worked as a chef in various restaurants.
He's also a visual artist, and it was Cesare who painted the illustrations on the wall outside the restaurant.
Cesare met her husband, Kevin, an interior designer and former TV host from the Dominican Republic, over dinner through a mutual friend. Kevin, who has worked as a bartender and waiter, loves making cocktails and is looking forward to getting his liquor license soon.
So far, FOODANCE has received a warm welcome from the local community. “The neighbors have been so kind and came out to celebrate,” says Kevin. Some customers have already chosen their favorite tables.
FOODANCE is located at 468 W47th Street, near the corner of 10th Avenue. Open daily at 5pm.
