Today, Bon Appétit spends a day on the line with Chef Arturo Rojas, chef de cuisine at Antico Nuovo in Los Angeles. Antico Nuovo is redefining Italian dining by reaching back—way back. From handmade pastas to wood-fired dishes, this acclaimed restaurant blends age-old cooking techniques inspired by the Italian countryside with modern dining, offering a culinary experience that feels both ancient and elevated.
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00:01Antico Nuovo is an Italian restaurant here in a strip mall in Los Angeles.
00:05We focus a lot on fire cookery down to our ragus, braces, our roasts.
00:10Some of the dishes that we cook are almost forgotten, even in Italy.
00:14We love to honor these hyper-regional dishes and the countryside cooking.
00:18As a chef de cuisine, there's a lot of jobs that go into it.
00:21I'm usually responsible for about 15 people in total from prep to dish to the line,
00:26making sure that everybody's able to execute at their highest potential.
00:30And most importantly, making sure everything is tasting up to par.
00:33I get the last taste on everything.
00:35I'm the last line of defense in this kitchen.
00:43Good morning. My name is Arturo Rojas.
00:46I'm the chef de cuisine here at Antico Nuovo here in Los Angeles, California.
00:50We have a lot to do today, so please follow along.
00:56Welcome to Antico. Around the walls, all these stuff that you see, we use on a daily basis
01:01for our pasta production or production in general.
01:0510 in the morning right now, the guys should be coming in around 11 a.m. with the prep team.
01:09I'm about to go check the prep list in the back.
01:11So over here, we got the master prep list, which is this guy right here, the whiteboard.
01:16Each station has an individual prep list that we build with each individual dish.
01:21As you can see, all the stations have a lot of mise en place,
01:24and we have all the dishes broken down to the sauces, the components that go in each thing.
01:28Usually, this type of prep in other kitchens for the chef de cuisine will be maybe a little too much.
01:33The reason I do it is because of consistency.
01:35Here at Antico, we're a smaller restaurant, so I love to take that task on.
01:38Today, I got this right section of the prep list, so we're gonna do a lot of fire cookery today.
01:43I gotta start the fire.
01:44Cooking with fire is something that, before I came to Antico, I wasn't too familiar with.
01:52But every year with Chef Chad, we go to the countryside, and all the farms that we visit, all the agricultures,
01:58when they take us to eat at their homes, they all have wonderful cast iron wood fire stoves.
02:03So, we always try to mimic as much cooking as we can as what we experience in the countryside.
02:08Alright, so the front of the house team has left me some leftover wine boxes, old menus I'll use as well, just to get the fire started.
02:16So, our braziero here, it's gonna pull it out just a little bit.
02:20The main use for it is to gather the embers as the wood finishes burning.
02:25So, we'll keep loading it up, we'll gather the embers, and with those embers, we'll keep feeding the fire.
02:31During service, you see it fully lit.
02:33Almond wood is a lot better to use than other types of wood, like hickory.
02:37It's a little more gentle in the smoke, it doesn't penetrate the meat as much.
02:41Nothing too intense.
02:43The ones with the most bark, those will light up fastest.
02:46When I start the fire, I like to start it with a little coals, just because it remains hotter for a little longer.
02:51Also keeps you for burning that much wood.
02:53These were high speed racks.
02:55We just sortered off the wheels, wrapped a couple long bars, and just put it in place to hold.
03:00This is a perfect place for resting, for roasting.
03:04We have a couple sheet pans here.
03:06These have two uses.
03:08If we ever walk away from it, the way it hits this before it starts getting to everything else.
03:12And the other reason is, heat rises.
03:14So it traps it in, and the meat gets seared, and gets so much more of that smoke a lot quicker.
03:21Lighting the starters.
03:22Making sure the air is so trading nice and good.
03:25I'll stay here for like five minutes until I know it's properly lit.
03:30And then I'll go to the bag and grab the goat.
03:32It's about 11 a.m.
03:40The prep guys are in the house.
03:42It's nice and busy now.
03:44Everybody's hustling and bustling.
03:46There you go, Ruby, please.
03:48So the goat that we got now is 25 pounds.
03:51We get it from Anderson Ranch over in Oregon.
03:54The taste is fantastic, not super gamey.
03:57This goat is going to be for one of our pasta dishes.
04:00The filea from Calabria.
04:01It's definitely one of the pastas that have become forgotten.
04:04I haven't seen many restaurants do it.
04:06But that's something that we're about.
04:08Going to these places, being told the stories from the nonas themselves.
04:12Telling us about the pasta, the production, and how to better honor them in their cooking.
04:17It's a lot more mountainous down there.
04:19Goats are usually grown a lot better in mountainous regions.
04:22Compared to like a cow that you see more in northern Italy.
04:25We always try to narrow it down to the area.
04:27The traditions that they have.
04:28So right here what I'm going to do is just investigate the goat.
04:31Check everything out.
04:32I like to see that it's nice and dry.
04:34That means it's going to crisp up real good.
04:36I'm going to grab my knife, work my way down.
04:39And just give it a little chiropractor move right there.
04:43Right here is the rib cage.
04:44I'm going to grab the saw and go right through the center.
04:46With the saw I like to start nice and slow.
04:49And then like a violin, long strokes.
04:52The purpose of opening it nice and wide is for when we put it up in the acid or cruz.
04:56A cruz translates to a cross.
04:58So it needs to be extended up.
05:00That way all the meat from the back to the front gets a nice color to it.
05:04In Italy they have very similar methods where they open up the goat and roast her in the countryside over the fire.
05:09Very old school way of doing it.
05:11And you know that's what we're all about in Tico.
05:13Kind of making an incision here.
05:14Going to be holding it up right by the tendon and the bone.
05:17So we'll have the goat standing up.
05:22I'll go ahead and get the fire started on the braziero.
05:25And then I'll lean it a little more closer.
05:27That way it gets a little more color.
05:29So right here what I'm trying to achieve is to get a couple color on the sides.
05:33Not to cook it all the way through, but to get it at least like 80% all the way.
05:37So that color, that mild reaction is going to help us with flavor development into the brazing process.
05:42It's probably going to be there for anywhere to two to three hours.
05:46And then from there we braise it.
05:48We cook it.
05:49Take all the meat apart.
05:50And then we'll have it mixed into the ragu for our pasta.
05:53Okay.
05:54So we're getting the braziero going.
05:55I've got to roast the rabbits.
05:56I've got to roast the beef cheeks.
05:57So let's get going.
05:58The first ragu that we're going to put up, it's going to be for the agnolori rabbits here.
06:04Seasoned with salt about a day before.
06:06This helps penetrate the flavor into the meat.
06:09Helps get all the excess moisture out.
06:11So all these meats that you see here, the rabbits and these beef cheeks, they're going to go also in a braise.
06:17They're going to be cooked down until they're nice and tender.
06:19And then they're going to be made into a farce.
06:21So they're going to be put into the grinder, mixed up all together.
06:24And that's the one we finished with a little bit of Parmesan.
06:27Also some escarole inside as well.
06:29The next thing that I'm going to do is start putting up our biltong for our pappardelle ragu.
06:34Northern Italian pasta.
06:36Biltong is a subtle flavor.
06:38Not super gamey.
06:39You know, it's very tender.
06:40At the restaurant, we try to use a lot of very unusual.
06:43Cut some meats.
06:44We focus a lot on Cucina Poverta, which means like a poor man's cuisine.
06:48The excess meats, the meats that nobody else wants.
06:51We try to utilize that and build it into our menu.
06:54So in Italy, you'll find different markets where they offer these types of cuts.
06:58Especially in the southern region, you'll find a lot of cuts that are not as known.
07:02The main reason that we do it in the open fire compared to like an oven or searing it in a pan.
07:08The flavor the wood has that penetrates into the lamb.
07:11Even if it's not even cooking all the way through, it makes a big difference at the finished product.
07:15Definitely helps aid with flavor and flavor development.
07:18And that's what we're about.
07:24Throughout the day, I'll check the pasta production.
07:26As it comes out, they'll show it to me, make sure everything's aligned.
07:29So I'm just looking at the feel, the consistency.
07:31As a chef de cuisine, I have to do this every day.
07:34It's not an optional thing for me.
07:35We have four different types of pasta bowls here.
07:37The first one is going to be our pappardelle dough.
07:40This is a much egg yolk heavy dough.
07:42So it's going to be a lot firmer to the touch.
07:44Right before he wraps them up, I'm looking at the feel, the consistency.
07:48I'm making sure the dough is nice and firm.
07:51Because this is going to be a noodle dish.
07:53So it's going to be a lot firmer to the touch.
07:55So we're going from Northern Italy all the way to the south.
07:58So this is the ravioli dough that we use for all our types of raviolis.
08:01From our tortelli to our ravioli di nona.
08:03This has a lot more whole egg.
08:05So it's a lot more flexible.
08:07The whites really help it with the elasticity.
08:09And I want to feel like a nice amount of comeback on this one compared to this one.
08:13Which is much more firm.
08:14Moving on to Calabria.
08:16We've got a little filet dough.
08:17Very classic on Southern Italy.
08:19Semolina and water based.
08:21This has no eggs at all.
08:22Definitely looking for the consistency.
08:24Making sure the gluten has developed good.
08:26A lot of chefs.
08:27A lot of people like to put their thumb in it.
08:28But I can tell better the hydration.
08:30And the way it moves when I fold it in.
08:32I really tell a lot by touching the dough itself.
08:35Instead of just kind of poking my finger.
08:37You could tell a lot about the humidity level.
08:39If it's too dry.
08:40If it's too wet.
08:41As the season changes.
08:42If it gets hot.
08:43It might need a little more than this.
08:45If it gets cold.
08:46It might need a little less time to work.
08:47But as the season changes.
08:49The pasta changes with it as well.
08:50Going down to the folio de olivo.
08:52This is a pasta that refers to the leaf of an olive tree.
08:56This pasta gets done in the board as well.
08:58We use some parsley with semolina and water.
09:00And then make it into the dough.
09:02The folio dough for me right now feels good.
09:04But by the time it gets into production.
09:05It might be a little too dry.
09:06Tirele un poco mas de agua por favor.
09:09He's just going to take it back.
09:10Folding a little more liquid to it.
09:12It's about 12pm now.
09:13That means we got to start our focaccia.
09:19I got Amado here helping me out.
09:21Doing the mixing process.
09:22This is about a 3 hour process.
09:23I have to keep coming back.
09:25And keep folding it.
09:26So we build that nice structure.
09:27I'm going to start mixing our yeast.
09:29With a little bit of water and olive oil.
09:31The flour is on top.
09:32And on the bottom we have salt.
09:34The reason we don't want the yeast to touch the salt right away.
09:37Is because it's going to kill the yeast.
09:39And then it won't rise properly.
09:40We're about doing 8 kilos of focaccia every day.
09:43So it's always a 2 person job.
09:45From beginning to end.
09:46From starting it to finishing it.
09:48So right now I'm incorporating the top layer.
09:51Very slowly.
09:52Working my way down.
09:53Making sure I'm getting all the crevices in there.
09:56Making sure there's no dry flour.
09:58No crumbs.
09:59So right now the focaccia is nice and folded in together.
10:02This is the first initial step.
10:04We've got to let it rest for 15 minutes.
10:06And we'll come back to it.
10:07Okay so it's about to be 12.15.
10:09And now we're going to meet Rocky and Leonard from Truffle Boys.
10:12As a CDC this is very important to me.
10:15Building a relationship with your purveyors.
10:17Talking about the product.
10:18Where are these truffles coming from?
10:19These are from Abruzzo, Italy.
10:20Some of the things that I look at when I'm looking at truffles.
10:23Is how it feels.
10:24The structure.
10:25The aroma.
10:26You know I'm looking for the size.
10:27Of course you always bring me some of the first batches.
10:30So I always try to pick my favorites.
10:31Those are the great ones.
10:32The size of a golf ball.
10:34There's no blemishes.
10:35There's no claw marks from the dogs that were hunting it.
10:37Perfect.
10:38Rocky.
10:39My bad.
10:40Thank you man.
10:44Alright so it's about one o'clock.
10:45Some of my line cooks have started to arrive.
10:47Here's when I'm starting to wrap up all the PM prep.
10:49Doing the last finishing touches.
10:51By now the meats are already done.
10:53So I'm going to start taking that down.
10:54The meat is nice and smoky.
10:56Nice and red tint.
10:57We put it right here and get it ready for the braise now.
11:00That's our veal tongue and our beef cheeks.
11:03So the goat has been in there for a couple hours now.
11:06Before I flip it, I'll get some of this render fat that I have down here from the goat itself.
11:11I'm going to give it a nice little baste.
11:13The main thing that we're looking for is the crisp on the skin.
11:16I'm going to try to flip this goat right here.
11:20So now we have the goat facing the other way.
11:23You know, I usually try to give it a taste here.
11:25Mmm.
11:26Definitely tell the smoke it's in there.
11:28The meat's rendering nice and good.
11:29So we'll leave it here for another hour or so until the other side is almost done.
11:33But it's cooking beautiful already.
11:35Okay.
11:36So now it's about 2.20.
11:38We got to do the last flip for the focaccia.
11:40Here's where I'll be checking the structure, the gluten development, and making sure it's ready to go for 3.
11:47Focaccia process, we got to do it every day.
11:49I do it as a CDC just because it's a lot of technique that goes behind it.
11:53Not on mixing the products, but on folding the bread itself.
11:56It's something that I always say, I could give you the recipe to the dot.
11:59But if you don't know how to fold it properly and build that structure properly, it's going to collapse on you.
12:04So the main thing that I'm going to do now is do that fold.
12:08So one last time, that way it has that structure.
12:12What I'm looking for now is kind of tucking it in so it becomes tighter.
12:16There's also a thing of over folding.
12:18If you over fold it too much, you're going to break that structure.
12:21I like to feel it.
12:22It feels nice, tight, dense compared to something like this.
12:27It has different type of elasticity.
12:29So this last one should be able to do it.
12:32Tightening it up.
12:35Whoever starts to fold is who has to finish it, keeping the same rhythm.
12:39I know I sound crazy, but it tells whoever is folding it and it will react very differently.
12:46Once I hand it off to my sous-chef Nate, what he's going to do is he's going to do the final step, which is portioning it.
12:51And that's it.
12:52At that point, the structure needs to be done.
12:54So at that point, there's no more folding involved.
12:57You just got to take it out, put it in the marble top here that we're going to be using here in a second.
13:01He's going to be just cutting it up, weighing it, and that's it.
13:04All right, service is getting real close.
13:08One of the last things I got to do, get a couple of spoons, get a vein, and go down the checklist.
13:19This checklist right here is pretty much divided between each station, which the main products and different types of garnishes that we got.
13:25Just making sure I get eyes on everything and I get a taste on everything.
13:29You know, as a chef, even when I'm not doing this, it's my sous-chef, but this is the most important part of the step.
13:34It's one of our sauces.
13:35Put it in a little thermos.
13:36It stays hot all throughout service.
13:39Porcini sauce.
13:40Tastes wonderful.
13:41The most important part of the tasting, especially for pasta station, is the taste of water.
13:46Every 30 minutes, I step off the pass and check the water.
13:49Just making sure it's seasoned all the way through, because nobody wants to cook pasta in unseasoned water.
13:57Delicious.
13:58Wonderful, man.
13:59Great job.
14:00Thank you, chef.
14:01All right, guys.
14:02Final checkup is done.
14:04We tasted every component.
14:05It's time for me to get my station ready and get ready for service.
14:12All right, guys.
14:13Let's have a good service.
14:14Yes, chef.
14:15During service, my job is to steer the ship.
14:17Make sure everybody's working on the correct things.
14:19Everything's coming out at the right times.
14:21And most importantly, making sure everything is tasting up to par.
14:24You know, the guests can see us.
14:25We can see them.
14:26They see every single one of our moves.
14:28So we got all eyes on that.
14:30Last line of defense.
14:31My job is just to keep our standard and make sure everything's up to par.
14:35All right, guys.
14:36The guests have arrived.
14:37The tickets are working.
14:38The place needs to be hot.
14:39And I need to get started.
14:40Get out of here, please.
14:41I need to get started.
14:42Get out of here, please.