New Sicilian restaurant coming to Cooper-Young
By Jordan Thomas/MicroMemphis Reporter
April 1, 2014
A new Sicilian restaurant is being planned for Cooper-Young with the goal of opening its doors no later than June 1.
Strano, Sicilian for strange, is the name of the restaurant being opened by Josh Steiner at 948 S. Cooper St.
“(The name of the restaurant) is my mother’s maiden name,” the 23-year-old Steiner said. “It means strange in Sicilian, and I think it fits the place perfect.”
Steiner went to L’École Culinaire in Memphis for about two years to obtain his associate’s degree. Afterwards, he went to Sicily to continue his training in more than 10 cities.
“I stayed with home chefs that lived in their restaurant and had a house above with a kitchen and restaurant underneath,” he said. “I spent a couple of days in each kitchen with each chef learning how their mothers, their grandmothers taught them how to cook to get that home feeling. And you just can’t get that in school.”
Sicilian and Italian foods are quite different. Sicilian food is more like island, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods. There are lots of seafood dishes, and the foods are cooked with more olive oil, oranges and blood oranges than other traditional Italian dishes.
“It’s going to be more Sicilian food rather than heavy pasta, heavy sauces,” Steiner said. “But we are going to have pizzas. It is more of a Sicilian version of pizza.”
Brandon Caradine, a frequent visitor of Cooper-Young, is looking forward to the new eatery.
“Cooper-Young is full of awesome restaurants, and I can’t wait to try this place out,” Caradine said. “There isn’t a place in this area that serves that type of food.”
Steiner said he qualified to open a restaurant because he has worked in all areas of a restaurant.
“I have almost every experience in the restaurant business,” Steiner said. “At 12, I was mixing dough in a pizza place, Johnny Brusco’s, in Jackson. I was making dough, started washing dishes and moving to different restaurants every five to six months. I finally realized this what I want to do for a career.”
To learn more about the restaurant, listen to the rest of the interview below.
April 1, 2014
A new Sicilian restaurant is being planned for Cooper-Young with the goal of opening its doors no later than June 1.
Strano, Sicilian for strange, is the name of the restaurant being opened by Josh Steiner at 948 S. Cooper St.
“(The name of the restaurant) is my mother’s maiden name,” the 23-year-old Steiner said. “It means strange in Sicilian, and I think it fits the place perfect.”
Steiner went to L’École Culinaire in Memphis for about two years to obtain his associate’s degree. Afterwards, he went to Sicily to continue his training in more than 10 cities.
“I stayed with home chefs that lived in their restaurant and had a house above with a kitchen and restaurant underneath,” he said. “I spent a couple of days in each kitchen with each chef learning how their mothers, their grandmothers taught them how to cook to get that home feeling. And you just can’t get that in school.”
Sicilian and Italian foods are quite different. Sicilian food is more like island, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods. There are lots of seafood dishes, and the foods are cooked with more olive oil, oranges and blood oranges than other traditional Italian dishes.
“It’s going to be more Sicilian food rather than heavy pasta, heavy sauces,” Steiner said. “But we are going to have pizzas. It is more of a Sicilian version of pizza.”
Brandon Caradine, a frequent visitor of Cooper-Young, is looking forward to the new eatery.
“Cooper-Young is full of awesome restaurants, and I can’t wait to try this place out,” Caradine said. “There isn’t a place in this area that serves that type of food.”
Steiner said he qualified to open a restaurant because he has worked in all areas of a restaurant.
“I have almost every experience in the restaurant business,” Steiner said. “At 12, I was mixing dough in a pizza place, Johnny Brusco’s, in Jackson. I was making dough, started washing dishes and moving to different restaurants every five to six months. I finally realized this what I want to do for a career.”
To learn more about the restaurant, listen to the rest of the interview below.
