“Little Big Italy” is an hour-long food-meets-travel reality show that is televised throughout Italy. Since Italian cuisine is known to be romantic, packed with flavor, and cooked with passion, “Little Big Italy” presents the most authentic Italian restaurants around the world for the people of Italy. The “Little Big Italy” crew recently traveled throughout the U.S. to find the top Italian restaurants in major U.S. cities and, luckily, the Phoenix metro area was on their list to visit.
While searching the Phoenix area, “Little Big Italy” found the three best, most authentic Italian spots in town. Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood in Cave Creek was beyond excited to be one of the privileged restaurants to make this exclusive cut.
Chef Viola and her husband, Federico Venturini, moved to the U.S. from Italy in 2018 and immediately created two local restaurants: Pizzicata and Pomodoro. The couple shares that their growing restaurant brands represent a deep desire to share their Italian heritage and authentic Italian hospitality within the community. Every aspect of the dining experience, from imported Italian ingredients to the cocktail menu and decor, has been meticulously crafted to provide a warm and welcoming experience that immerses you in an Italian family dinner, according to Chef Viola.
At Pomodoro, Chef Viola, Head Chef and co-owner, were in the kitchen ready to create signature dishes for the Italian reality show. The show was set as three different food segments: first, the Little Big Italy stars requested a dish from the menu, which was Pappardelle Al Gingahale, or pasta with wild boar. Second, the Pomodoro team offered one of their favorites, Ravioli Viola, which features homemade ravioli stuffed with burrata cheese and shrimp tartar. Last, the show’s star, Francesco Panella, requested a very traditional Italian dish from Pomodoro, Fagioli All’accuretto, which is a simple Tuscan cannellini bean dish that embodies the infallible philosophy of less is more. Since not a regular menu choice, the Pomodoro team quickly went to their local grocer to purchase the necessary ingredients for Chef Viola.
After filming in early May at Pomodoro Italian Grill & Seafood, the show left to privately deliberate who the chosen restaurant winner will be. Within 24 hours of filming, the Little Big Italy team returned to declare Pomodoro as the winner as the best Italian restaurant in the Phoenix area. The episode is scheduled to go live in Italy this fall.
Pomodoro is located at 6710 E. Cave Creek Road in Cave Creek. To learn more, visit pomodorousa.com.
