A Scottsdale Arizona native Nicholas Verdisco grew up with a passion for food. Coming from an Italian Family, Nick recalls large Sunday meals, making pasta by hand with his grandmother and arguing about if was “sauce” or “gravy”. However, he never thought food would play such an important role in his life as an adult.
Although cooking was a passion for Nick, it didn’t become his profession until 20??. Nicholas graduated with honors from the Connecticut Culinary Institute and completed his externship at Barcelona Wire Bar. A short time later Nicholas took a position at The School House at Cannondale under Chef Tim LaBant, where his passion for creating modern American cuisine using fresh, local ingredients was born. Nicholas rose through the ranks to become Chef de Cuisine. After five years with Tim LaBant, Nicholas left to go work for acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongrichen as an Executive Sous Chef serving upscale American fare at The Inn at Pound Ridge, a restored, rustic-chic 1833 inn.
In July of 2017 Verdisco will be taking the helm as the Executive Chef at Bolster, Snow & Company in Portland, ME. @chefnickverdisco
My first memory of campfire cookery
...was when I was 7 or 8 yrs old, and I was in Indian guides, something like Boy Scouts. And I remember distinctly wrapping the corn, potatoes in the foil and buried them in the coals... thought that was the coolest thing...My father must have liked pork, because there always seemed to be pork on the fire. Looking back now, it must have been a loin because I remember him slicing up a bunch or everyone.
Favorite memory around a bonfire...
is back in high school on Friday nights after football games, what seemed like the whole school would go out in the middle of nowhere and build raging bonfires. We would sometimes stay out all night, or until the wood ran out.
My worst experience camping
...is that I am convinced that no day spent outdoors is a bad day outdoors, always something to learn from. I guess if I had to pick I was bitten chasing a gofer while camping when I was a kid and I was afraid of getting a rabbies shot so I chased it down and caught it. No fear at that point since I was already bitten and it really didn't hurt too bad. Also a rabies shot seemed much worse...the little guy had the test for rabies (which was negative) and I got a tetanus shot for safe measure.