Meet Chef Marco Barrila: Celebrity Chef Gives Back To Community
Chef Marco Barrila is Sicilian born, from Messina, Italy, primed and stuffed from a traditional Italian family.
At an early age, Marco was impressed by the vast range of foods disguised with delicate fussiness. He became prepped at how to feed the fever of food-ism. Yearning to explore the amazing world of gastronomy, Chef Marco moved to America at age 24.
He was naturally creative, talented and passionate. He was hired fresh off the plane to work at “Sfuzzi,” serving the richly fed and highly demanding. There were two more stints at the Paramount Hotel and Carmines before settling in at Fiorello’s Lincoln Center, a high volume restaurant with a high profile clientele. It was here that Chef Marco created a name for himself and left his mark with the creation of the now famed anti-pasti bar.
Sought after for exclusive New York City events, Chef Marco was nominated as one of New York City’s Top 40 Chefs. It is hard to tell how much the craft of food or charm figures into Chef Marco’s success. They both served him well when he opened his own Italian bistro, “NOI,” on Bleeker Street.
Chef Marco dished up finger licking fresh pasta plates with live cooking performances, which earned him many awards, including 5 Stars by the New York Times Travel Guide.
Launched from New York City, Chef Marco set sail for a holiday trip to the Hamptons. Similar to Sicily, he immediately fell in love with the landscape, and knew that this is where he wanted to alter the ritual change of seasons.
He opened his first season at HRH Resorts & Hospitality, catering to the Hamptons’ elite and covering countless multi-media events. The next season he was recruited as Robbins Wolffe’ star chef, where Chef Marco hosted food for twenty four carat gold events for the celebrity masses, including the VIP Boxes at the Hampton Classic, and at the Ross School Concert Series.
With such eclectic connections, Chef Marco Barrila knew that ultimately he needed to be free to reveal his own joy in this amazing part of the world. In 2008 Chef Marco opened “Insatiable Eats.” creating his own version of cultural delirium. Insatiable Eats will be serving up food and creating events each distinctly itself, yet happily unified in a highly recognized atmosphere. Chef Marco will be sharing his great dishes with the Hampton’s elite, where Insatiable Eats could become an addiction.
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Recently seeing a need in New York’s east end of Long Island, Chef Marco started a charitable organization in 2009 called the Frugal Food Project. This organization was begun when Chef Marco noticed how much food was being wasted at the fancy mansions and events he was so used to catering for the elite. He knew that if just ten to thirteen percent of the amount of food being wasted at these celebrity events, or the funds used on that ten to thirteen percent, was donated to help feed single moms and their families in New York’s wast end of Long Island, that truly a difference would be made in lives.
The Frugal Food Project works together with Citizens 4 Humanity to deliver prepared meals to single mothers during the holiday season. Last year saw the organization donating 15-20 meals to moms and their families; this year that list has more than quadrupled with over 160 families in need.
With many of the area’s food pantries overtaxed, Chef Marco was concerned that many of the moms and their children were not getting their nutritional needs met. He hopes to help in that area as much as he can by preparing delicious, healthy meals: meals that do not come from a can or a box.
Rallying together a group of volunteers and chef friends who generously donated the use of their kitchens, and working together with donations from local stores and farms, the organization is off to a good start.
A typical holiday meal with all of the trimmings for a mother and three children usually costs on average of $20. The names of who to help are selected by word of mouth or through neighborhood connections.
It is Chef Marco’s desire to be able to provide a savory meal for a family who might not typically even invite friends or family over during the holidays. To allow them the possibility to have enough food to share with family members on a day that is especially meaningful for family togetherness.
This year (2010), Chef Marco and Citizens 4 Humanity hope to extend the Frugal Food Project throughout the year, but they need your help to be able to supply healthy, nutritious meals to families in need.
To make a donation to the Frugal Food Project and Citizens 4 Humanity
Visit their website at: http://www.citizens4humanityny.org/
For fun… Watch Chef Marco prepare a meal:
