Former Commack Chef Wins 'Guy's Grocery Games' Episode

COMMACK, NY — Chef Erik Pettersen, a Long Island native and former Commack chef, recently won an episode of "Guy's Grocery Games," a show hosted by Guy Fieri on The Food Network.

Pettersen, who grew up in Oyster Bay, was executive chef and a working partner at Ciao Baby in Commack before he moved south to open Evo Italian in Tequesta, Florida, 13 years ago, according to a news release. Many of his Long Island patrons — snowbirds especially — travel to Florida and dine there to this very day, according to Pantelides PR & Consulting, the South Florida public relations agency representing Pettersen.

He whipped together a spicy Alaskan halibut served over fried gnocchi with wild forest mushrooms for the win on "Guy's Grocery Games," Palm Beach Illustrated reported.

Pettersen's Italian heritage played a significant role in what would become his passion and career. As a fourth-generation Italian chef with over 30 years of culinary experience, he was exposed to Italian food preparation by his Sicilian grandmother, whom Pettersen would watch and help cook whenever he visited her. He learned the authentic, farm-to-table recipes passed on from generation to generation, and the respect and attention to detail that each dish merited. She taught him the family secrets that still influence his cooking to this day.

When working at a pizzeria as a teenager, he became aware of his keen sense for quality that he saw in his own family’s cooking, which led him to become more attuned to the nature of his true calling. With the knowledge of knowing how to cook, Pettersen's mother constantly reminded him to explore this natural ability further. He climbed the ranks of some of the most well-respected and popular restaurants in New York, working as a sous chef in Manhattan restaurants for revered restauranteurs, the Scotto brothers and renowned chef Brendan Walsh. As years passed, his dream took full shape, as he knew he wanted to go back to his roots and start showcasing the family recipes.

Pettersen's dream was put on hold when an opportunity came knocking, as he was brought in as executive chef and working partner for Ciao Baby, an upscale four-star restaurant in Commack. The restaurant took off with Pettersen, then age 29, at the helm, and his sauces and recipes were being raved about in reviews from the New York Times and the New York Post. First-time customers became regulars, a line was out the door to get a table, and after the first six months in business, a second Ciao Baby location broke ground in Massapequa. The Commack Ciao Baby has since re-branded as Prato 850.

He was on his way of becoming one of the hottest chefs in New York, until his mother in Florida called to tell him she had stage-four lung cancer. It took a while for this horrific news to set in, but when it did, he sold his share of the restaurant and moved south to Delray Beach, according to the release.

While living in Florida, Pettersen focused on being his mother’s caretaker. In her final months, they would visit relatives together in Jupiter and Tequesta, and she would remark, "when I get better, we’re going to sell the house in Delray, open a small place in Tequesta, you’ll do the cooking and I’ll handle the business."

After his mother died, Pettersen lived out both his mother’s dreams and his own with the opening of Evo Italian on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2007, in Tequesta. While adding the title "restaurant owner" to his credentials, his one-room small restaurant had only eight tables and 35 seats. He served his first customer, legendary National Hockey League player Bobby Orr. Evo soon was the talk of the town, and Pettersen was once again building his reputation — same as he did in New York. Two years later, he added a bar area and expanded into a second room. By the fifth anniversary, Evo moved into its current location with 150 seats, a full bar, lounge and outdoor patio area.

Evo Italian, now 13 years in business, offers a contemporary interpretation of authentic Italian recipes. Evo, short for evolution, brings time-honored, old world traditions evolving full circle into fresh new beginnings with the freshest and highest quality ingredients, according to the release. And Pettersen's chef jacket has the name Nancy scripted on the back, as he knows his mother always has his back.

Years ago, in the Italian village where his grandparents lived, there were no supermarkets to shop for food, so dinner came fresh from the farm to the table. This remains Pettersen's philosophy, as he does not simply wish to just feed his guests but nourish the body and mind with culinary experiences that sets a new standard in dining.

Evo’s beef, chicken, veal and pork are prime grade, all-natural and hormone-free, and fish is delivered every day from local fish purveyors. Imported Italian products play a major role in Pettersen's unique approach to cooking. In partnership with his family in Italy, he imports only the finest D.O.P certified products from San Marzano tomatoes to Sicilian and Tuscan first cold pressed extra virgin olive oils, bufala mozzarella and burratta pugliese, "rocca" Reggiano parmigiana, aged balsamic from Modena and the finest fresh and handmade dried pasta Italy has to offer.