‘Seven Fishes’ A New Tradition In Collingswood For Nunzio’s Chef Michael DeLone

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — The chef who bought a well-known restaurant in Collingswood is preparing a feast for an Italian-American Christmas tradition.

Chef Michael DeLone bought Nunzio Ristorante Rustico last year from his mentor, and is bringing the tradition of "The Feast of Seven Fishes" to the Italian BYOB eatery on Restaurant Row.

Its namesake, Nunzio Patruno, was a well-known chef at Monte Carlo Living Room in Philadelphia for more than 20 years before he opened the Italian restaurant in Collingswood.

DeLone had already fallen in love with food, he says, before Patruno became his mentor at Monte Carlo.

“I learned everything, from butchering to desserts to pasta (and) sauces, that was the base of my education,” said DeLone.

DeLone worked at Monte Carlo for a while before eventually becoming an executive chef at Le Castagne and Bistro Romano in Philly.

“I’ve been around the Italian scene my whole career. It’s what I love to do,” he said.

He and Patruno had not spoken in years, DeLone says, when the chef-owner contacted him during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked if he knew of anyone looking to buy a restaurant.

DeLone was looking to make his own mark, and said yes.

“Here we are a year in,” he said during a mid-December interview with Patch.

DeLone has begun putting his own culinary stamp on the menu at 706 Haddon Avenue and plans to update the interior eventually, the NJ Pen reported. Nunzio’s has plenty of competition in the Italian scene on Restaurant Row, and Nunzio himself had a certain style that DeLone is not trying to imitate: he has his own way.

“We’re trying to be different,” DeLone said. “But it feels like everyone has their own way and their own scene.”

DeLone began offering special Seven Fishes menus while working with Philly, and is beginning to make a tradition at Nunzio’s. Last year, DeLone offered a special Feast of the Seven Fishes menu before Christmas at Nunzio’s, with a non-seafood menu as well which he said was very well-received. He’s offering the same this year, both to dine-in and to-go, from Wednesday Dec. 21 until Saturday Dec. 24.

This Italian-American feast is traditionally served on Christmas Eve, and the menu is not limited to only fish: calamari, mussels, clams, scallops, and other seafood are other options. More traditional dishes including fried smelt, calamari, and baccalá (salt cod).

“They call it seven fish but it ends up being 11 or 12 fish (and) seafood, a little bit of everything,” DeLone explained.

The Stateside tradition traces its origins to southern Italy, where fish is often served during “La Vigila” (The Vigil) on Christmas Eve, according to American Food Roots and Food Network. The number seven could indicate the number of days it took God to create the world in the book of Genesis, or the seven sacraments which Catholics hold sacred.

DeLone, of the Roxborough-Manayunk neighborhood in Philly, said he didn’t grow up with the Feast of the Seven Fishes – his great-grandfather began a family tradition of having brunch on Christmas Day.

But his wife Lisa grew up in South Philly, and her family, which traces its roots to Naples, introduced DeLone to the tradition. He and Lisa met in the service industry, and have been together since 2005.

“I was introduced to that through my in-laws and I fell in love with it, and tried to make it something that’s traditional where I’ve worked,” said DeLone.

“It flipped me to making Christmas Eve my big night,” he said.

This year’s feast menu includes four-course meals with both fish and non-fish options. DeLone has the traditional smelt and salt cod on the menu, but put his own twist on them.

“Basically, (we’re) taking traditional dishes and taking a newer, fresher taste,” he said.

Here’s what is on the menu, for a price of $75 per person plus tax and gratuity. Each menu includes a dessert trio with biscotti, cannoli, and profiteroles with chocolate sauce.

Seafood menu:

Salt cod fritters with tomato jam and saffron crema; fruitti di mare with shrimp, scallops, calamari, crab, peppers, olives, lemon and arugula; fried smelts with lemon aioli, Cioppino (seafood stew) and spaghetti with garlic breadcrumbs, basil and clams.

Non-seafood menu:
Burrata with peperonata, arugula pesto and aged balsamic; gnocchi with black and white truffle cream; and short rib over polenta with mushroom and gorgonzola sauce.

DeLone said he and his kitchen team will enjoy the break in routine for this special service.

“Those nights you get to put away the a la carte, put away the things that you do 50 hours a week and do something different,” he said. “It adds a little more excitement.”

DeLone has brought some other weekly specials to Nunzio’s, like a truffle week and recent wild game week with boar, venison, pheasant, and more. He said he hopes people come in for a meal and enjoy the menus he’s crafted.

“This isn’t our only special, we’re going to be implementing these weekly special menus for our events," said DeLone. "We want people to be aware that we’re doing different things, changing things around and keeping it fresh."

Nunzio BYOB is located at 706 Haddon Avenue in Collingswood. Phone number: 856-858-9840. Website: nunziosbyob.com.