Newest Restaurant Has Roots in Naples & Gracie Mansion

Anna Maria's at 18 Chatsworth Avenue, Larchmont

by David Cruz

(July 27, 2006) “I’m loving it. Loving every minute of it,” declared executive chef turned restaurateur Anna Maria Santorelli, 44, as she mingled with the crowd celebrating the opening of Anna Maria’s, the upscale Italian restaurant she will own and operate with Anne Karr, 43, also an executive chef.

Anna Maria Santorelli shows off some of her signature dishes in the kitchen of her new restaurant.

Relatives, old friends and new friends were jammed into Anna Maria’s at 18 Chatsworth Avenue on Saturday evening, July 22, to congratulate the owners, sample hors d’oeuvres and pasta and appreciate the renovated dining room. In evidence were wrought iron decorations and oil paintings hanging tightly along the rustic Venetian plaster walls. Handmade curtains (courtesy of sister-in-law Natalie Santorelli) wrapped in an elegant vineyard style, added a romantic flavor.

Also part of the décor are photos of the many people central to Ms. Santorelli’s career, including Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor and her former boss. At the mini-bar is a black and white photo of her late younger brother, Mario Santorelli, to whom she dedicates the restaurant for encouraging her to keep her dream alive.

That dream has been 20 years in the making, starting with her graduation from the New York Restaurant School. A week before Anna Maria's opening, Ms. Santorelli spoke to the Gazette about her passion for cooking and where it’s brought her.

As a chef, Ms. Santorelli has cooked for an impressive list that includes President George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Her cooking talents led to a thirteen-year stint at Gracie Mansion under Mayors David Dinkins, Rudy Giuliani, and for a brief time, Michael Bloomberg. Her longest and most challenging assignment was with the Giuliani administration, where she pulled double duty as executive chef and chief administrator responsible for event planning. Leaving the political arena, recently she served as food director to Willow Towers in New Rochelle, which serves an elderly clientele.

Ms. Santorelli brings to Larchmont her 20-year experience and a passion for food and cooking that stretches back to her early childhood in Naples. Her mother, Maria Santorelli, always emphasized the importance of pouring one’s heart into a dish.

“Learning from my mother helped me go on to the next level,” said Ms. Santorelli. Her mother has had substantial input in the planning for the restaurant, even helping pick the menu. “She would even say ‘Oh, this is no good. Oh yeah, put in this one.’ She’s really great,” said Ms. Santorelli appreciatively.

Aside from the family influence, there is the professional and the personal. “It’s important that the consistency is there, the texture, the presentation. That’s what people are going to get from me,” she said.

She doesn’t view herself in competition with other chefs: “I don’t like it I don’t like it,” she stressed. “I like to just to be me, and I want to be known as me.”

However, she does work as a team. For the restaurant, she’s partnered with fellow chef Anne Karr, who brings her Irish-American background and training in continental cuisine. The two met when Ms. Karr helped cater a Gracie Mansion dinner party ten years ago, but they had lost contact until this January when they ran into each other in Mount Vernon. Ms. Santorelli said she was looking for a business partner, and four days later, Ms. Karr became part owner of Anna Maria’s.

The pairing brings together polar opposites: Ms. Santorelli is the outgoing adventurous type and Ms. Karr is more introverted. They agreed that Ms. Santorelli would take charge of customer service and Ms. Karr would be in charge of the kitchen.

“Two like her wouldn’t work, two like me wouldn’t work,” reflected Ms. Karr. “She had things I lacked, so it’s a good balance.”

The balance is also reflected on the menu. The two collaborated on the selection, which includes brunch, lunch, and dinner options. The choices are mostly Italian, from both the south and north: for example, for dinner Gnocchi Alla Napoletano and Sauteed Duck Breasts with Frangelico Sauce and for dessert Baba Al Rum.with Italian Custard. But there are also continental items, such as the Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Demi-glace and Chilean Sea Bass with Lobster and Wild Mushroom Sauce. At dinner, appetizers go from $8 to $18 dollars and entrees are from $21 to $29 dollars. (See: Dinner Menu)

“Ultimately, the food quality will speak for itself,” said Ms. Santorelli.

Location is also important for Ms. Santorelli. After experiencing the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, she opted for Larchmont’s Chatsworth Avenue, which, she noted, has become something like a “Restaurant Row.” On a summer afternoon, outdoor tables line the block from the Boston Post Road to Addison Street. “I think the people here are wonderful, the community here itself is like a family,” she said. “It’s more laid back in that aspect as opposed to being wild and crazy.”

Anna Maria’s, at 18 Chatsworth Avenue, is open seven days a week. Hours are Sunday to Thursday from 11:30 am to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday from 11:30 am to 11 pm. For reservations, call 833-0555.

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