Fortunato Nicotra remembers those first confusing months after leaving his native Italy to run the Italian fine-dining institution Felidia in Manhattan. "Everyone was asking for chicken francese," he said. "I'd say, 'I'm Italian – I don't know what chicken francese is.' "

Today, Nicotra remains a relative rarity in America – a chef born and raised in Italy cooking for a renowned Italian restaurant here. This year, he marks a highly unusual two decades at the helm of Felidia, the flagship restaurant of Italian cooking icon Lidia Bastianich.

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Source: http://www.northjersey.com/