Andrew Masciangelo
Savona Restaurant
2 Chase Rd, Scarsdale
(914-798-0550; savonarestaurant.com)
Culinary Hero…Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The excitement he brings to his guests begins the second you walk through his doors and lasts to the second you walk out. To be able to do this—and in different locations—inspires me.
I Never Eat…baked beans, like you would have at a barbecue. I can eat them to be polite, but I try to avoid them at all costs.
I Hate It When a Diner at My Restaurant…speaks loudly and crudely and doesn’t respect the other guests.
I Hate It When I’m Dining at a Restaurant and…the wait staff is more interested in hanging out with their co-workers than taking care of guests.
What Waiters Should Never Do…Be seen eating.
The Strangest Request from a Diner…A tuna dish without tuna or a pasta dish without pasta. It happens more often than you would think.
Favorite Form of Exercise…Putting away the dry-goods order. Fifty-pound bags of flour are quite a workout.
Shoes I Wear in the Kitchen…Dansko clogs.
The Worst Kitchen Accident…I had an employee up on a step stool, cleaning the exhaust, and, when he was stepping down, he put his leg into a bucket of super-hot scrub water for cleaning the floor. He was burned up to his knee. I felt horrible.
My Eating Disorder Is…I love to eat a big feast late at night. I know I shouldn’t eat that much and then go to bed, but if I don’t, I just lie there and stare at the ceiling.
I Think Nutritionists Are…a bit boring, but everyone should know how to eat clean and healthy. And everybody should break the rules once in a while.
Favorite Pain Reliever…Ice and sleep.
Culinary School Can’t Teach…how to change an oven thermostat or how to fix a leaky sink.
Most Famous Person I Ever Cooked for…Bill Cosby in culinary school; [former Pakistani President] Pervez Musharraf at Savona in Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania; and Mariah Carey at Savona in Scarsdale.
