Tenuta’s a Hit in Bay View

By Catherine McGarry Miller

“It was either the job or get married.  I chose the job,” says Tenuta chef Frank Alia who picked a culinary career over wedded bliss.  To do both would lead to divorce, he admits, and cooking is a zeal bred from his Southern Calabrese Italian heritage.  After a short stint as dishwasher in one of his uncle’s Kenosha restaurants, Alia began cooking in earnest at just 16 years-old.  His pride is in doing the job right.  “Anyone can follow a recipe but [the outcome] depends upon the kind of passion you put into a dish – I love making a product that people really enjoy,” he says with great delight.

Alia honed his skills with lots of practice.  “I listened to a lot of good chefs, went to school [Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC)], and wasn’t really afraid to make mistakes.”  And as all young chefs, mistakes he made. Once, he made a real doozy, ordering his staff to cook raviolis for forty people, only to realize halfway through the painstaking process that the party was the next evening.  “It made a nice employee meal, but I don’t make too many mistakes now,” he says grinning.

Alia’s cooking philosophy is true to his Italian heritage. He seasons his dishes with a simple palette of salt, pepper and oregano, roasted garlic and vegetables and vinegars of all kinds.  “I use Balsamic vinegar as a base and infuse it with various flavors: raspberry, lemon and sometimes honey like an Italian sweet sour.”  The house vinaigrette is so good a bottle of it sits on each table for bread dipping as well as for dressing salads.

For Alia, the key to gastronomic success is to start with the freshest ingredients available.  Gnocchi all’ Fungi is Alia’s specialty and a dish he loves to recommend.  “The gnocchis are made by hand made fresh.  The Alfredo sauce is light and creamy, not pasty or heavy.  It’s velvety on the tongue.”

Alia himself prepares the daily specials and makes the foccacia bread.  All specials, pizzas and sauces are made-to-order.  Italian loaves are purchased from Canfora Bakery.  “We use as many local purveyors as we can – it’s good for business,” Another local business, Battaglia, makes Italian sausage for the restaurant using Tenuta’s own recipe.  Desserts, including the popular Tiramisu and Chocolate Godiva Cheesecake are made from scratch.

As with any job, there are occupational obstacles to overcome. For Tenuta’s, it is a snug cooking area. “I’m afraid to measure the kitchen, it’s so small,” Alia says with a smile.  No more that 25’ by 18,’ equipment is packed in cheek to jowl.  The chefs must perform a nightly ballet choreographed between several small prep areas and the ovens, broaster, fryer, steam table and six-burner stove.  With all the coolers and freezers in the basement, Alia estimates that he makes a hundred trips a day, which keep him slender enough to navigate his tight quarters.

The Bay View Tenuta’s is the third restaurant in the family-owned business specializing is classic Italian and Mediterranean fare.  Working in a family-owned restaurant suits Alia just fine.  “There’s no bureaucratic red tape to fight when you need a decision, the owner’s always there.”  As is Alia, who is on the job 24/7 thanks to a warm welcome from the community ever since it’s opening last December. By New Year’s Eve, the place was packed.  Word-of-mouth has kept it reservations-only without the need to spend a dime on advertising.

In his spare time, Alia likes to play golf.  On Saturday and Sunday mornings, he can oftentimes be seen donning his hounds tooth chef pants so he can commute directly from the course to the restaurant, allowing a little more time on the links.  He also continues a longstanding family tradition of making wine, using a huge wine press cemented into foundation of his home.  “It’s a harsh Calabrese Chianti, very dry – an acquired taste from a recipe handed down by my grandparents.”

Alia doesn’t just rely on his own culinary expertise and experience, he often turns to his patrons for advice.  “I step out into dining room and talk with every table.  That way I get feedback personally rather than a complaint from a server or a phone call.  I did that from Day One.  I develop relationships with the customers and do special orders all the time — I think its part of the attraction of our restaurant.”

Chef Frank Alia

Tenuta’s Italian Restaurant

2995 S. Clement

414-431-1014

Sunday-Thursday 4 – 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday 4 – 11 p.m.

Wheelchair accessible

No smoking