MARCELLO'S RISTORANTE: A TASTE OF TUSCANY
By Kevin T. Czerwinski
Pointing to a single reason why Marcello's Ristorante has remained a Hudson Valley hotspot over the last two decades would be difficult. There's so much involved with why one of the tri-state area's finest restaurants has become such a success that the best way to explain it is to simply say - go eat there.
Marcello's Ristorante, owned and operated by Marcello Russodivito, has taken genuine Italian cuisine and made it an integral part of the downtown Suffern landscape. His upscale restaurant has a spectacular and ever-changing menu, incorporating everything from Russodivito's own personal tastes to the latest trends in the business and even the changing of the seasons.
Couple the cuisine with an inviting atmosphere, the warm smiles provided by Russodivito and his staff along with the convenience of being in the heart of the Village and a meal at Marcello's is more like an event than a night out. Russodivito, a native of Italy, first received formal training at a culinary school in Tuscany before traveling around the world while honing his craft.
He eventually wound up just north of New York City, working at restaurants in Rockland and Bergen Counties as well as Manhattan. Russodivito decided to open a place of his own 23 years ago and Suffern hasn't been the same since. With several large dining areas, a gorgeous bar and décor that seemingly whisks the patron to a hillside in Tuscany, it's sometimes easy to forget that you're there to eat.
But eat you will and be talking about the experience for days to come. Marcello's can host private parties and corporate events, set up special areas for video and teleconferencing or simply provide a night out for the family. Currently he's running $23 specials to commemorate his 23rd anniversary. He's offering great food at great prices, knowing that he can help in tough economic times while celebrating the anniversary of when he opened his restaurant.
There's so much more than the obvious, though, where Russodivito is concerned. He conducts cooking classes in a separate custom kitchen in the restaurant and has written cookbooks while also producing cooking videos. During the summer months he grows his own herbs and spices in the courtyard behind the building. Russodivito also offers valet parking because he believes his customers deserve to be treated in style.
"I had very little when I started here," said Russodivito, who puts in between 10 and 11 hours daily at the restaurant. "Slowly, though, we added on. It's like we're part of the walls. When people come to Suffern, they just don't come for the restaurant. They come because they know a caring guy is behind it."
While Russodivito is clearly charming and cares a great deal about his product as well as his patrons, he admits he won't be running the business forever. As the restaurant's 25th anniversary approaches, Russodivito hints, with a smile, that it might be a good time to turn the reigns over to someone else.
"This place is on the map now so maybe if I have another good three years, I'll pass the torch on to a 35-year-old chef," he says with a laugh. "It has to be a top chef. I'll be 53 at that point and I might be thinking about another segment of my life? or maybe not. This is what I love to do."
Zagat's and the AAA have recognized Russodivito, providing more evidence of just how good the food, the friends and the atmosphere is at Marcello's.
"We have customers from all over," he said. "They come here to meet off the Thruway and I-287. It's a nice central place. If I didn't have all these things I wouldn't be able to do what I do now. I wouldn't be able to survive without the diversity of my customers."
It's those customers who have helped make Marcello's a destination for more than two decades.
Free two-hour parking is available on the street in the Village while the Parking Authority's lots are free for three hours. The Chestnut Avenue lot and the Orange Avenue lots are the closest to Marcello's.