Du Jour with Peter Sclafani

Twice a week during Louisiana’s peak tomato season, Ruffino’s Executive Chef Peter Sclafani high-tails it from his Highland Road restaurant to St. Bernard Parish, where he selects and buys fresh Creole tomatoes directly from a produce farmer. In late June, the chef orders gobs of Copper River Wild Alaskan salmon, a particularly fatty version known for its flavor and short season. “We’re an ingredient-driven restaurant,” says Sclafani, 41, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and has been at the helm of Ruffino’s since 1998.A third generation chef and restaurateur from New Orleans, Sclafani was brought in by partners TJ Moran and Ruffin Rodrigue to rebrand the restaurant, formerly – and fleetingly – called Gerry DiNardo’s. Sclafani’s signature is the intersection of Creole and Italian foodways. “Being from New Orleans, the local cuisine – Creole – is so strong it takes over everything else,” he says. “You don’t really have authentic Italian restaurants.” Sclafani plays to regionality by featuring lots of seafood, including BBQ shrimp fettucine and cedar planked redfish.Pastas are big, too, especially, the creamy, easy-going-down vodka pasta, a red gravy enriched with cream and vodka, served on a “flat noodle,” or large pasta square. It’s one of the four red sauces Sclafani features, the others being a slow-cooked gravy, a lively marinara and a simple tomato with fresh basil, the chef’s personal favorite. Themed wine nights have become a Ruffino’s standard, including a pre-season kitsch-fest with slain ‘Gator and War Eagle (quail) at the center of the menu. Recently, Sclafani also added what have become wildly popular monthly cooking classes, in which diners get to learn – and eat – some of his tips and tricks. (Photo courtesy Ruffino’s) — Maggie Heyn Richardson To read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.