New York is a city that welcomes and transforms. Rosario Procino knows this well. A communications engineer who arrived in the Big Apple in 1998 to work in telecommunications, he then chose to embrace the restaurant business, bringing true Neapolitan pizza to the heart of Manhattan. Founder of Ribalta, now a landmark for the Italian community and a cultural embassy of Naples in New York, Rosario has been able to combine tradition and innovation, transforming a simple eatery into a symbol of belonging and conviviality. In this interview Rosario Procino talks about his extraordinary journey and the secrets of his success.
You have been in New York for 25 years. You started in another industry and then became one of the pioneers of true Neapolitan pizza in the Big Apple. How did this change come about? “Mine has been a very atypical trafila. I came to New York in 1998 as a communications engineer. I then started working with Telecom Italia and later with Australian Telecom. In 2002 I started a consultancy for Barilla, and two years later I left Telecom and went to manage Barilla’s commercial for the East Coast of the United States. That’s where the transformation began: at that time, when I was dealing with the food business, I was inspired and realized how much I missed real Neapolitan pizza in New York. In 2008, I embarked on this adventure, challenging the general skepticism about a product considered “too Neapolitan” for American tastes. And thus was born my first pizzeria, Keste, which was an immediate success and was instrumental in kick-starting the Neapolitan pizza movement in America.”
How did you manage to make Americans appreciate a pizza so different from what they were used to? “The idea was to offer an authentic, uncompromising experience. Keste was a Neapolitan pizzeria through and through: few starters and a pizza that was true to the rules of tradition. At first they called me crazy, said they didn’t like Neapolitan pizza because it was “flabby” and “springy.” Yet, from the very first night, we were already serving 420 covers in a 40-seat establishment. The secret? Being consistent with the identity of the product and knowing how to create a community around the place. Today with Ribalta we have taken this experience to the next level, becoming a true benchmark for Italians and New Yorkers alike.”
Ribalta is more than just a pizzeria. It is a gathering place, a reference point for the Italian community in New York. How did you manage to build all this? “A former partner of mine from another restaurant used to repeat that for a restaurant to be successful “you have to align the stars,” meaning that all the components have to be there: good food alone is not enough, just as good pr work is not enough, but everything has to be amalgamated together. The key to Ribalta’s success has also and above all been differentiation. Ribalta is not just a pizzeria or a restaurant: it is a meeting place, a cultural reference point. We created an environment that recalls Naples without having to fly nine hours or show a passport. Hospitality has been interpreted in different ways: from soccer matches that turn the place into a miniature stadium, to Friday nights that attract not only Italians, but also Americans fascinated by Italian authenticity. Ribalta has become the “Casa Italia” in New York because it has been able to create community. And soccer has played a key role in this: from the Napoli Scudetto parties to the 2021 European Championship celebrations, events that have gathered thousands of people in front of the venue. It is this collective energy that has allowed us to turn Ribalta into something unique.”
How did you handle the challenge of bringing such an authentic product to such a competitive and diverse market as New York City? “We focused on authenticity without slipping into the folkloric, which eventually risks lapsing into cliché, becoming artifact. There are so many Italian restaurants in New York, but few are truly authentic. I put all my eggs in the quality of the product and fidelity to the Neapolitan tradition. But good food alone is not enough: you need a complete experience. Ribalta has become a meeting place because we never wanted to just “sell pizza.” We wanted to tell about Naples, its culture, its passion. And Americans love that, they love authenticity without excessive folklore, without stereotypes. We focused on an elegant, refined Naples, that of Pino Daniele rather than Mario Merola, a Naples that speaks of quality and excellence. The Neapolitan spirit always exists, it would be foolish of us to detach ourselves from that fire; with our Club Napoli, for example, we make “a brothel,” but liveliness is one thing and vulgarity is another: the key is to always keep alive the Neapolitan soul linked to happiness and our being sunny.”
Are there many VIPs who come to the restaurant?We have a large number of VIP customers, from actors to politicians, Italian and otherwise. In particular, I am very proud to have twice hosted our Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was so enthusiastic about the restaurant that she came back. I found a very humble and kind person, she was very interested in our activity and our status as Italians abroad and asked us a thousand questions. A real pleasure to have her with us.
New York City is constantly changing. How has the city changed over these 25 years and how has it influenced your business? “New York is fascinating precisely because of its ability to constantly transform. I have seen at least five or six different versions of the city since I arrived. There have been golden moments, such as the Bloomberg era, and more difficult moments, such as recent ones with security problems and decay. But New York always has the capacity for rebirth, and that is its strength. Today we live in a time of uncertainty, but it is precisely in these periods that new trends and ideas emerge. Ribalta itself was born in a time of economic crisis. The ability to adapt to change is key to surviving and growing in this city.”
You have built a real community around Ribalta. How do you see the future of the Italian community in New York? “The Italian community in New York is large and strong, but it could be even stronger if it were more united. Unlike other communities such as Jewish or Latino, Italians maintain an individualism that sometimes penalizes them. If we were more united, we would be able to enhance even more the brand Italy, which today is stronger than ever. New York has an inexhaustible craving for Italian authenticity, not only in food but also in culture, design and lifestyle. This is a huge potential, but we have to learn to team up.”
What does the future hold for you? Do you imagine a return to Naples or will you stay in New York? “New York is now my home, but Naples remains in my heart. The dream is to bounce between Naples, New York and maybe a warm place for the winter. I will never leave New York, but I will continue to bring Naples here, without a passport and without a nine-hour flight. This bond is too strong to break.”
The article Rosario Procino: “With Ribalta I brought Naples to New York, without a passport and without a nine-hour flight” comes from TheNewyorker.
