Little Charli East Chef Salvatore Olivella Talks Grill Hampton 2025
By Dan's Staff
Little Charli East is joining Dan’s Grill Hampton Presented by Wilmington Trust, — the ultimate grill off on Saturday, August 2, where sizzling grill masters battle it out over steak, burgers, and veggies — plus tunes and cocktails — letting you vote for the ultimate flame game! This year’s event is hosted by Chef Michael Symon.
Here, we spoke to Little Charli East Chef Salvatore Olivella about his unlikely career path, food trends, and what he’s serving at Dan’s Grill Hampton 2025.
Visit DansTaste.com for tickets and more info about Dan’s Grill Hampton presented by Wilmington Trust and all the upcoming Dan’s Taste Summer Series events!
Meet Little Charli East Chef Salvatore Olivella
How did you get into this line of work?
Chef Salvatore Olivella is a dynamic, highly innovative, top performing executive chef with more than 25 years of international experience in the food and hospitality industry. He specializes in Mediterranean Italian cuisine and authentic Italian pizza: La Vera pizza Napoletana, La pizza al Metro, La Pizza al Taglio and Roman-style pizza with a NY twist. He got into this line work through his family business, specifically his father and grandfather from Italy.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Born in Naples, Italy, Chef Olivella grew up with a deep appreciation and love for the Italian cuisine. He draws majority of his inspiration from his father and from seeing people enjoy his food. He has distinguished himself among the great pizza connoisseurs through passion, dedication, creative originality, and above all, adoration for his country and its rich produce.
Despite growing up in Naples, Chef Olivella has become a master of the New York pizza scene, opening over 20 renowned gourmet artisanal pizza places such as Pie By the Pound, L’Asso Restaurant, Numero 28, Zigolinis, Blu Chelsea Restaurant & Bar at Indigo Hotel in Chelsea, Golosi, Napoli 57, AOA, 180 Hester, Italian Food Center, Rossopomodoro/Eataly NYC, Danny Meyer’s Marta (Union Square Hospitality Group), Serafina (Serafina Restaurant Group), Woodpecker by David Burke, Feroce/Tao Group, Dumbo House by Soho House, Flavor by Loews Regency Hotel New York, The Montauk Beach House, Ruschmeyer’s Montauk, Little Charli & Little Charli East Hampton.
What new food trends are you seeing?
Right now, especially in Manhattan, we have seen a spike in the dish, Rigatoni with vodka sauce. Following this trend, we’ve added the Tipsy Nona pizza which is vodka sauce based but ours is different as we don’t use heavy cream, but we use Brechamel cream. Of course since we are in the summer season, there is also the coastal/ Mediterranean trend happening out east.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
For several of the restaurants, he designed and built brick ovens. In Dallas, Chef Olivella created a family-owned, influential chain of pizzerias named Olivella’s Neo Pizza Napoletana and subsequently launched the one-of-a-kind Olivella’s pizza trucks. Chef Olivella consistently coordinates and prepares exclusively gourmet events, catering and banquets for notable celebrities, hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs. He is well known for hosting his pizza classes.
Chef Olivella’s industry innovations and success in the culinary world have awarded him critical acclaim and incredible exposure; he won the Best Traditional Pizza in the Northwest for the 2015 International Pizza Expo. At Little Charli, Chef Olivella provides authentic pizza made the old-fashioned way, the true Italian way. Chef Olivella continuously applies his admirable devotion and zeal, innovative techniques, and high-quality ingredients to the menu at Little Charli NY featuring his Roman Style Pizza with a NY twist. Little Charli East Hampton provides a Mediterranean Italian cuisine as well as Charlie Boy in North Fork, LI
What is your comfort food and why?
Spaghetti Vongole with white wine and garlic that’s because he comes from the coast of Italy and it reminds him of home.
What is your favorite dish to make?
“Polpette di mia nonna” Meatballs from my grandmother
What do you plan to serve at the event?
Nonna meatballs/Margherita pizza and diavola pizza.
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