Trattoria Bel Paese Cooking Academy

During the day, Trattoria Bel Paese Cooking Academy cuts a humble figure with its deli area bursting with grilled panini, fresh salads, and Italian hero sandwiches. By night, though, Chef George Joseph draws a curtain around the glass counter and, according to Teresa Politano of the Star-Ledger, this "unassuming little Clark Kent of a restaurant" sheds its eyeglasses to fight villainous hunger with a menu of authentic Sicilian and Italian specialties. Chef Joseph puts his international training to use for each meal, calling upon skills learned in London, Melbourne, and Italy itself to craft heaping portions of pastas with sweet red sauce and veal with cream sauce. Working with gluten-free and organic ingredients upon request, he also crafts platters of hot chicken parmigiana and fresh black mussels with marinara as part of Trattoria Bel Paese's catering team. But Chef Joseph doesn't limit his gifts to his own kitchen. He also educates the next generation of chefs during cooking classes, which combine fresh ingredients and simple Italian preparations into delicious, memorable at-home meals.