Chef Eric Isaac

 


Chef Eric Isaac, raised in Arkansas and trained at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Costigliole d' Asti, Italy. Eric, the valedictorian of his class, landed an internship at Capeo, an acclaimed ristorante on the Italian Riviera.

Following his training, he returned to the United States to assume the executive chef position at Cassinelli 1700. Within weeks of his return from Italy, Eric received a five star review from the Arkansas Times and a perfect review from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. He also received an invitation to become a member of the highly-acclaimed James Beard House and served as executive chef at Maumelle Country Club and Riverfront Steakhouse.


In 2002, Eric teamed up with his brother, Brian, and conceived Ristorante Capeo, a place to bring "pranzare italiano autentico," authentic Italian taste, from one of the greatest culinary nations in the world to North Little Rock. In June 2003, Ristorante Capeo, named in tribute to the establishment where Eric was trained, opened with a blast. Ristorante Capeo has hosted many successful private parties including a dinner for the Chaine des Rotisseurs, and counts many celebrities, both local and national, among their clientele.

Q:  What is your dearest pasta memory? 
A:  As a child passing around big bowls of spaghetti and meat sauce at the dinner table with my family.

Q:  What pasta cut do you prefer cooking with? 
A: Penne.

Q:  What do you think is the best thing about cooking with pasta?  
A:  It is very forgiving.

Q:  Of all the pasta dishes you cook, which one do think people enjoy the most? 
A:  Spaghetti Carbonara.

Q:  What is your all-time favorite pasta dish? 
A:  Spaghetti with Anchovies, Garlic and Olive Oil.

Q:  What do you think it is about pasta that makes people like it so much? 
A:  It’s quick and easy. Even the most inexperienced cooks can whip-up a tasty pasta dish in no time.

Q:  Do you have any tips for enjoying pasta more at home?  
A:  Yes, don’t forget to add plenty of salt in your water when boiling and no oil. Also don’t overcook.

Q:  What do you think are the qualities of a good brand of pasta? 
A:  When cooked properly it should be firm and tasty.

Q:  What’s your “pasta philosophy”?  
A:  Always remember that different cuts of pasta are for specific types of sauce, for example angel hair pasta is thin and needs butter sauce or oil.

Q:  Imagine you've been banished to a deserted island and can only bring one kind of pasta.  Which cut would you take with you and why? 
A:  Angel hair would probably go well with coconut milk.