After a fire shut down the original location, chef Stefano Secchi is back in the Flatiron neighborhood with Massara, aiming to showcase the joy of wood-fired pizzas.
Last week Massara moved back to the old Flatiron location from the temporary Park Avenue home, and Secchi has invited Italian pizzaioli to come over and take over the wood-fired oven.
“I can’t wait for New Yorkers to taste this approach to pizza—hopefully early this summer,” said Secchi. “Who doesn’t love incredible pizza? It’s incredibly light and chewy with a hint of sour; it’s so awesome. I used to eat three of those pizzas a night in Italy. I can’t wait.”
A Bit About Chef Stefano Secchi
Born to immigrant parents, Stefano Secchi, the chef was primarily raised in Texas and later got his culinary education at CIA in New York. After graduating, he made his way out west where he trained with award-winning chef Nancy Silverton at her acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant Osteria Mozza, learning about pasta-making and front-of-house hospitality. Secchi further trained in Italy, immersing himself in the language, the culture, and the food of Emilia-Romagna and worked with legendary chef Massimo Bottura in the kitchen of Michaelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena.
Eventually, Secchi made his way back to the States and landed in New York, with his heart set on working with the city’s top culinary and hospitality talent. He did so at Marea, chef Michael White’s exquisite bustingly coastal Italian restaurant overlooking Central Park, where Secchi got a crash course in high-volume dining. After his time spent abroad and working in top kitchens, Secchi ventured out on his own, ready to launch his own restaurants.
Rezdôra, his first, opened in the spring of 2019 with the aim to celebrate the cooking of Emilia- Romagna in Northern Italy. Five years later in 2024, he started Massara, which highlights the cuisine of Campania through wood-fired cooking.
Unsurprisingly, Secchi loves to eat as much as he loves to cook. We caught up with the chef to learn more about his journey to New York and his desire to push Italian culture forward in his home country and adopted city.
After culinary school in New York, you went to work with legendary chef Nancy Silverton at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. How did you wind up on the West Coast and what was the experience working with Nancy like?
I’ve worked with some of the best chefs in the world and Nancy is awesome in every respect. I went to CIA in New York and I really wanted to taste the produce out [West], so my whole goal was to move to Santa Monica and be near the farmers’ market.
I went to the farmers’ market every day it was open and then I’d drive to Hollywood every day to work at Osteria Mozza. It was the premiere Italian restaurant in L.A. at that time, and I still think it is. Nancy does things really classically executed extremely well with farmers market food from California.
Working for her was great! I did two things [at Osteria Mozza]: I worked in the front of the house, and I made pasta in the back of the house. But primarily, I was in front of the house. I had never worked in a dining room, especially a place that busy. Right after I worked with Nancy, I moved to Italy full time before landing in New York City.
Did you have a hit list of restaurants you wanted to work at in New York after spending those years in Italy?
It’s funny you ask that. I came back to the States [armed with knowledge]; I spoke Italian, etc. but I just wanted to cook. I always wanted to work with Danny Meyer, especially because of his hospitality [philosophy]. And I always wanted to work with Michael White because of his time spent in Italy.
I thought about Marea and Gramercy Tavern and that’s it. I started on the line at Marea, which was a great experience. We had two stars at that point and it’s one of the best locations in New York City. We were always packed. [We did] 400 covers a night. It was completely eye-opening. I had never worked in that high volume before so that was certainly a learning experience. Doing high volume while executing at a high level… I learned that quickly at Marea.
After your time at Marea, you were ready to go out on your own. What was the biggest difference in opening Rezdôra versus Massara? Were things any easier the second time around?
When we opened Rezdôra [in 2019], we had no money, no one knew who I was, and no one wanted to work for us. Nowhere in the world is it harder to open a restaurant than New York— nothing goes your way. The city makes it difficult, the expense makes it difficult, the critics make it difficult.
But I wanted to work with the best and that’s what drove me to New York. So initially, I worked seven days a week, doing all the work myself. Until the [three-star] New York Times review came out, I couldn’t get anyone on staff. It was insane, I’ve never been so tired.
But the Pete Wells review changed everything and then we got a decent team and we had a [Michelin] star. With Massara, it was different, [I felt] more prepared. It wasn’t easier by any means. We focused on Italian cuisine with no American influence—that’s the throughline between the two places—but with Massara, we had a director of operations, we were able to get permits, and we had a staff. It wasn’t easier, but we were more prepared with that opening.
You serve Italian food that Italians approve of—meaning, it’s authentic and not Americanized. Do you have a mission to get Americans to understand Italian food?
We opened [both restaurants] with a full dedication to Italian food, but the way people eat in Italy. For example, we have a ragu from Modena on the menu at Rezdôra with no herbs, because that’s how they eat it in Modena.
The differences make a big difference. Once you get the Italians from Italy [to approve], the Americans listen to the Italians and they get it. I feel very fortunate: it’s amazing to get recognition from Italians and from Italy. It’s awesome that Italians seek out Rezdôra, especially. We hope we’re doing our cultural heritage justice.
You must be proud: you created the restaurant you always wanted and are helping to create awareness around Italian cuisine and show how it’s not just one thing, one style. What is it like now, having your own business now doing your own thing?
I had no desire to do anything but cook and be a chef, but I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur too. The highs are super high and the lows are extremely low, but I love the pressure. It must be nice to have a big restaurant group with payroll and everything. I have so many more grey hairs doing this by bootstrapping [laughs].
But, I feel like we’re making headway in how Italian food is cooked in the States, and my goal has always been to push Italian culture forward because I think our culture is very special. I just happen to [push Italian culture forward] through food.
What’s the biggest misconception Americans have when it comes to Italian food?
People don’t realize there are 20 regions in Italy and they’re all different. There is no “pan-Italian food” and that’s the biggest misconception. One of my goals is to help people realize the difference in the regions. There are too many Italian restaurants in NYC without a real story or a real stance. They just want to make money and you can’t fault them for that. But it makes me cringe.
Visit Rezdôra Monday from 5 to 11 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday from 12 to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m. 27 E. 20th St., rezdora.nyc
Visit Massara daily from 5 to 10:30 p.m. 913 Broadway, massara.nyc.
