After working behind the scenes at Pricci and Coco Pazzo, Chef Riccardo Ullio first made a splash in Atlanta in 1994, when he opened the prestigious Italian restaurant Pasta de Pulcinella. Five years later, he opened Sotto Sotto and began the U Restaurants group. Soon after, Fritti, Beleza and Cuerno joined the scene. After all these years, Ullio’s popularity never falters—if anything, it only grows. A native of the Piedmonte region of Italy, Ullio believes in simplicity and freshness in food. He uses only the highest quality ingredients in his creations, which are often modeled after those of other countries. He recently dished to Metromix about his cooking, the current state of the economy and holiday offerings.
What makes your restaurants unique? Each one is very focused on a very certain, very different and unique concept. Sotto Sotto is a regional, authentic restaurant that you would eat at in Italy. With Fritti, I wanted to bring an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria to Atlanta, a very unique concept. It was one of the first in the country in 2000 when it opened. Beleza is still extremely unique with raw foods and cocktail lounge. Cuerno is a Spanish restaurant. There was no Spanish food in Atlanta, and Spanish cuisine is very worthy. It’s at the culinary forefront, one of best cuisines in the world.
To whom or what do you attribute your success? I work very hard to get where I’m going. Hard work and making good decisions—that is the key.
How do you think your (outgoing) personality contributes to the success of your restaurants? I like to eat well, laugh, sit around with my friends, drink and have a good time. It’s part of my culture. It’s who I am. I believe it’s one of the most important things in life – time with family, friends, people you love. That’s what I try to bring to the table here – more time with them. We try to spread the good times.
What's your cooking style? I like to eat simply, well and healthy. You should eat what your body needs to consume, to thrive, to be healthy and live a long and happy life. I believe in natural food cooked in direct methods. Family cooking – nothing crazy.. My restaurants have soul, and things with soul are always set to last.
Where do you get your inspiration? I get it from my youth, the dishes that I remember from childhood, from traveling a lot and eating in different countries, from restaurants and kitchens, and reading a lot of cookbooks. I go to Italy all of the time, as well as Europe, Spain, Brazil, South America, and Asia, I like to travel all over the place. It’s important to get a good feel for everything that’s going on places.
What are your favorite foods? Where do you eat when you're not at work? I eat a lot of pasta and pizza. I eat on Buford Highway and at MF Sushi. I never cook at home; I don’t have time. I also like to eat in my own restaurants so I can check and make sure everything’s good.
What are you offering for the holidays? We’re doing a lot of special events. For every $500 someone spends on a party, they’ll receive a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant. We’re also doing a gift certificate promotion with Blue MedSpa, Van Michael Salon and Bill Hallman called “Gift It Forward.” For every $100 someone spends at any of these places, they’ll receive a $25 gift card good at any of these stores.
How is the current state of the economy affecting your business? I think everybody is affected. People are eating out less and spending less money when they do. It’s just kind of how it goes right now, you know? We just continue to do what we do – make good food, make sure customers have a good experience and get their money’s worth when they come out. People have less money to spend, so when they do spend it, they want to make sure they spend it well. We’re focusing on giving them their money’s worth. You must give people value in a shrinking economy.
What's next for you? I don’t know—I have to see how this economy rides out. Right now, there’s not much sense in planning further than next month. I’d like to take a vacation. I’ve wanted to go to Thailand, Turkey, Egypt and Iran; there are a lot of places out there to visit that I’ve never been to, like India. It depends how my fancy strikes me when I’m ready to go. I guess that’s my culture—Italians are always best w their back up against the wall.
