Bella Italia Annapolis | 609 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis | 410-216-6061 | bellaitaliamd.com
Lino Chiavo grew up in Naples, Italy, and learned how to cook the old-fashioned way…from grandmother Ada Carannante. The first thing Chiavo brings up in an interview is his grandmother. He cherishes the years he spent with her in the kitchen.
“My expectations of what I am tasting and eating, I got from her because she was a really great cook,” Chiavo says. “Every time she cooked, it was like a beautiful dish and something special.”
Chiavo brought his family’s cooking knowledge and his eight years as a chef in his home country with him, when he came to America at age 30 in 2006. Once in the states, he spent three years as a chef at restaurants in New Jersey and, then, Carmine’s in Towson.
Three years later, he bought Bella Italia in Annapolis from his wife Maddalena’s family. Chiavo, now 44, made a lot of changes to the restaurant and, nowadays, business is booming. Customers love Bella Italia’s pizza, but the pasta and salads are customer favorites, too.
We recently sat down with Chiavo to talk about his grandmother’s influence, the restaurant’s best-selling dishes, and donating food to local schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Your grandmother taught you a lot about cooking? Tell me about that.
We lived in the same apartment building. She lived on the second floor and I lived on the first. I would have lunch and dinner with my grandparents. I learned a lot by watching my grandmother cook. I spent a lot of time around her. The first dish my grandmother cooks for me when I go back home is meatballs. She is in her mid-80s and still cooks.
After your 12 years as a chef, did you feel more than ready to own a restaurant?
When I worked in Towson for a year and two years in New Jersey, I wasn’t just a chef. I was running the places. I really wanted to own a restaurant and use my experience from that. I was in New Jersey when my wife’s family called me. So, I came and saw this restaurant and I said to my wife’s brother, Luca Assande, “Let’s own it together.”
There are a lot of Italian restaurants in Annapolis. What separates your place from others?
It’s the food. We always try to improve. If we find something better, I switch my old way of doing something to a new way. If I find a better ingredient or better quality chicken from somebody, I will use it. If I have to spend more to buy better ingredients, I will do it. I have great relations with my employees. That’s why they never leave. Most of them have been here seven or eight years.
Why did you want to buy the restaurant?
I thought it could be a great restaurant, and it’s in a nice spot in Annapolis. We have grown a lot since we started this business. I didn’t live in Annapolis before. I was working in Towson as a chef and basically running a restaurant. I started meeting people and people were coming to the place. The business kept growing, growing, and growing. I think we have doubled our business since we took over.
Tell me about your catering business?
We work with everybody. Schools, hospitals, and offices. We have made a lot of donations to hospitals and schools over the years. During COVID-19, we donated a lot of food for the kids. It’s something I felt I needed to do.
Is a big part of your customer base the Naval Academy?
They are huge customers for us. We get big catering orders from the sports teams. Football, lacrosse, and basketball. Many, many sports. A lot of people who work at the Naval Academy come here for lunch. Every Friday huge groups of Midshipmen come in here, too, and order everything. The catering business [with the Academy] has grown a lot over the years and it’s a huge part of our business.
What physical changes have you made to the restaurant over the years?
We made a lot of changes and the place is like new. We put up nice walls that separate the sides of the dining room. We have parties on the one side. We also finished all the wood in the place. I put in bigger ovens, so we can cook more pizzas. The bathrooms and refrigerators are new. I basically remade everything.
What dishes do your customers crave the most?
Pizza with cheese and pepperoni are the most popular. We make pizza that you can’t find in any other pizzeria. The different ingredients and toppings make it special. Our tomatoes come from the Campania region of Italy and the parmesan cheese comes from Italy, too.
What else are customer favorites?
Salads. People love the chicken avocado salad. It has grilled chicken, bacon, and tomatoes blended with Mexican cheese. People will often come back in and buy it again.
You provided What’s Up? Media with the recipe for Fettuccine Bolognese? What makes it special?
It’s a traditional and old Italian recipe that we have also used in the family. We really make it the way it’s supposed to be. It has onions, celery, and carrots all chopped up. You blend those things to make a cream sauce before you add ground beef and red wine to the pasta. We finish it off with pink sauce.
Fettuccine Bolognese
Sauce for four servings
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion,
- finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot,
- finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 28 oz can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 cup of heavy
- cream (optional)
- Half cup of red wine
- Salt, black pepper, and Parmigiano Reggiano to taste
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrot, and celery until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, add beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Stir in wine, allowing the wine to reduce slightly and stir in tomatoes. Add salt and black pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until most of the liquid has reduced. You want the sauce to be very thick and meaty. Stir in heavy cream and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from flame and toss with fettuccine and Parmigiano Reggiano.
