In 1989, Luke Palladino was voted “most likely to succeed” by his classmates at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY. This prediction turned out to be true and the prophesy continues as he adds Bragozzo to his list of accomplishments. Located at the Isle of Capri Casino in Biloxi, Miss., Bragozzo reflects his passion for design, service and style combined with the art of pasta making, Antipasti tradition and the familiar components of an Osteria or local eatery. “I decided early on that it was important to specialize in a specific cuisine and, because of my heritage, I wanted that to be Italian,” says Palladino, who remembers family holidays as a procession of food with each relative’s signature dish on a table. To ensure that his heritage was properly honored, Palladino enrolled in the CIA and dedicated himself to becoming an expert in the art of Italian cuisine. His training included three years of living and cooking in Italy.

From 1997 to mid-1998, Palladino was executive chef and partner at Venice’s internationally celebrated Ristorante al Covo. “It was an incredibly intense experience because there were only three people in the kitchen — a dishwasher, a cook and me,” he said. Prior to his time at al Covo, Palladino immersed himself in the culture of Italy’s varied regions, spending time at restaurants in various regions, including Rome, Piemonte, Puglia, Friuli, Sicily and Tuscany. Along the way, he struck up a friendship with Carlo Petrini, the president of Slow Food, an organization dedicated to combating the culture of fast food by preserving and passing down age-old culinary practices.

In the United States, Palladino has worked with some of the country’s most wellrespected chefs, including Paul Bertolli, Jeremiah Towers, Emeril Lagasse and Todd English. He worked with English from October 1999 until May 2001, first as executive chef at Onda Ristorante at the Mirage in Las Vegas, where he crafted an innovative Italian menu that incorporated the lessons he’d learned in Italy, and then he opened the Aspen outpost of Olives as its chef de cuisine. In Aspen, Palladino was awarded “Best New Chef” by the Aspen Daily News.

In 2003, he opened two restaurants simultaneously located inside the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. Specchio and Ombra (he opened Risi Bisi later the same year) reflect a journey fueled by passion, discipline and in the words of food writer David Rosengarten, “great farinaceous facility.” Specchio presents refined Italian dishes that showcase his artistry; Ombra presents the simpler rustic flavors of the Italian countryside. At Risi Bisi, he replicated the style of Italian street food, such as paninis and pizzas. The results reinforce the accuracy of his classmates’ words by earning him such accolades as, “the best unknown Italian chef in America.” (The Rosengarten Report, Feb. 2004).

In 2006, Luke partnered with the Isle of Capri to open Bragozzo in Biloxi, Mississippi and in 2007, opened Bragozzo in Pompano Beach, Florida.