Cooking has always been imbedded in our young chef. Growing up cooking with his mom and nonna in the kitchen has taught him the importance of sharing food with the world. Starting from a young age, Chef Nico started to work in local kitchens in his hometown of Staten Island, NY. From there, he went on and trained at the world renowned culinary school ALMA Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana in Parma Italy, as well as, receiving his masters of culinary arts at The French Culinary Institute in NYC (now known as the ICC). Chef Nico began his career as a pastry chef in the four star hotel Torre Xiare located in Trapani, Sicily.
After returning home, Nico continued his road in the culinary world working in well known restaurants in NYC. Leaving the kitchen for a bit, he went on to work at the Cooking Channel on the show Extra Virgin, as a culinary consultant. Missing the kitchen, Nico decided to take his talents back into the fire and became the Head Chef at Cellar 58, a winebar/enoteca in the LES. It was during his tenure there that the inspiration came to open his own restaurant. Bella Gioia was established in 2014 and he continues to impress the food scene in Brooklyn, with his recipes and passion for food. Also, Chef Nico can be seen on the show Cooks vs Cons on the Food Network, a regular on CBS NYC Local News cooking segments and other local news and media outlets