Westport's Da Pietro Chef-Owner to Cook on Cruise

When it comes to sailing the seas, Pietro Scotti is no fledgling mariner. 

Prior to arriving in the United States from Ischia, Italy, in the autumn of 1974, Scotti spent eight years fostering his sea legs by cooking on merchant mariners, oil tankers, and passenger liners. As the oversized watercrafts cut through the waves of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, Scotti cooked in the bowels of the boats.

"I was an apprentice," recalls Scotti. "This was an Italian line with an Italian flag. To be a chef on the ship you had to be like 60 or 65-years-old."

But when the 61-year-old Scotti boards the Holland American ms Noordam on August 6, 2011, in Rome, Italy, he'll no longer be relegated apprentice duties. With decades of experience tucked into his apron and more than 20 years spent mastering his craft in his boutique restaurant, , he has earned the status of celebrity. 

"He is the reason people are coming on the cruise," says Eva Greenwald, the trip's coordinator and co-owner of Best Cruises and Travel Now.

It's no wonder the cruise will take place on the 1,924-passenger ms Noordam. Not only does this luxary liner feature four restaurants, including the chic Vista Dining Room—a lavish affair with moneyed decor, five course menus and a Royal Dutch High Tea experience—but it's also equipped with a culinary center, which is modeled like a Food Network set, complete with stadium seating, spotlights and cameras. It's a mecca for gourmands.

At sea, Scotti will of course take the culinary center's stage for several live cooking demonstrations. "He'll definitely be making fresh pasta," attests Janine Scotti, the wife of Pietro. "We want to make stuff that's going to have pizzaz for the food stadium." 

But aside from enjoying decadent dinners, live cooking shows, and other multifarious recreations, passengers will have the opportunity to explore the port cities of Dubrovnik, Croatia; Santorini, Greece; and Messina, Sicily. During these jaunts, Scotti will lead cultural tours thoughout markets and vineyards and collaborate with local chefs for cooking workshops. "It really is a culinary cruise," says Janine. "All the options to get off the ship revolve around food and wine. When we're in Sicily, we're going to a Sicilian bakeshop to learn to make Sicilian pastry." 

And when the ship returns to Rome on August 16th, passengers can continue their travels with Scotti and his family, joining them for supplementary thrills in Scotti's hometown of Ischia, the volcanic island off the coast of Campania, Italy. Once there, he will teach the principles of Ischian cuisine—including the legendary chicken-in-the-sand recipe, an island technique of roasting a whole chicken beneath the naturally broiling sand.

"He's a world trained European master chef who has also been a legend here locally," says Greenwald. "You'll be seeing the Mediterranean through a master chef's eyes."

Information about the cruise, including how to reserve a spot, can be found at the cruise website.

Editor's note: Norwalk Patch recently published these other articles related to nearby restaurants:

• (a "Restaurant Road Trip" colum with more links to articles about area restaurants)
• (a "Restaurant Row" column with more links to articles about Norwalk restaurants)