Local Chef Debuts Italian Cooking Show

Local chef Victor Rallo has his roots in New Jersey Italian restaurants, but on a new television show that debuted Saturday, he’s taking his expertise for the cuisine outside the kitchen.

Rallo, who grew up in Franklin Lakes, has family roots in the food industry. His parents started in the pizza business before opening up two Jersey Italian restaurnts, including Molly’s Fish Market (now Portobello) in Oakland.

His new show, “Eat! Drink! Italy!” draws on that family history as well as his own culinary experience from owning two New Jersey restaurants: Basil T’s Brewery and Italian Grill in Red Bank and Undici Taverna Rustica in Rumson.

But the show won’t confine Rallo to the kitchen.

“We’re stepping a little outside the box to interpret Italian food, culture and history,” the chef told the Record. “And we’re hoping viewers will come along with us.”

In addition to being a noted restaurateur, Rallo is also a wine critic and expert with two published books on wine, “Napoleon Wasn’t Exiled” and “21 Wines.”

His producer, Mark Ganguzza, a fellow New Jersey native, told the paper that the show would be akin to a “food and wine magazine centered around Italy,” and the episodes feature Rallo traveling abroad to uncover the origins of the European nation’s cuisine.