Dante Bellucci, executive chef and co-owner of Tartufo in Newton Centre, grew up with seafood in his blood. His hometown Pescara lies in Abruzzese on Italy’s Adriatic Coast and is famous for both seafood and its handmade pasta. It’s no wonder Bellucci found his calling as a chef or that the Tartufo menu is so heavily influenced by fresh seafood. “I grew up on the ocean,” said Bellucci.

Bellucci made his culinary debut at just 14 on a fishing boat in Abruzzese and made it his life. From there he started working on larger boats — yachts, then merchant boats — cooking three meals a day for crews of 20 or more before landing in Africa. There he worked for as a chef for a Hilton in Kenya before finally returning back to Abruzzese.