A fun mix of Hamptons neighbors gather for the Scottos’ seven-course feast. Mangia! Mangia! Elaina and Rosanna Scotto host a family-style international feast, right in their own backyard. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC STRIFFLER 102 HAMPTONS-MAGAZINE.COM 102-105_H_Feat_Entertaining_Ent_11.indd 102 7/7/11 11:20:33 AM Elaina and Rosanna Scotto Seedless watermelon salad with shaved fennel, radish, local rocket and honey dressing Sara Ziff and Chef Steven Greg Kelly Santoro in action Toasted fregula, roasted summer vegetables and lemon “The Scotto party is always an incredible mix of few weeks ago, my sister, Elaina, and I had a great idea to start the Scotto warmth, summer: gather 100 of our closest friends and family members, get amazing food, great A on a plane to Rome, have a seven-course meal in a restaurant at the Spanish Steps, get back on the plane and come home. An unforgettable 24 people and fun!” —DONNY DEUTSCH hours. The last time we checked, this fantasy would cost about $200,000. We thought about it for a solid 30 seconds—then moved on to Plan B. John, Elaina, We live to eat and we love to entertain, so we set out to bring Italy to our Rosanna, Marion and backyard in Southampton. Up went the tent and in came the troops from Anthony Scotto Jr. our family restaurant, Fresco by Scotto on 52nd Street in Manhattan. The staff brought the food and wine and filled the tent with sunflowers, and soon the air was filled with the incredible mouthwatering smells that could come only from an Italian kitchen run by pros. Our guests included TV stars who were ready for the best. I have been lucky to get to know so many of them while working as cohost of Fox 5’s Good Day New York. I love doing cooking segments, but I also know when to turn the show over to the experts—in this case, our mom, Marion. She makes sure there is plenty of food for the table: breadsticks wrapped in prosciutto and arranged in vases; platters of imported salami and cheeses; and, during cocktail hour, our famous Fresco potato and zucchini chips smothered in Gorgonzola and pizzas grilled on the barbecue. 102-105_H_Feat_Entertaining_Ent_11.indd 103 7/7/11 11:21:06 AM When it is time to sit down, that is when the Scottos spread out. We love long tables where Anthony Jr., John, Mom and the two of us can oversee and socialize at various parts of the room. We served a meal that we might have ordered at the Spanish Steps—seedless watermelon salad for the first course, followed by conchiglie pasta with lump crab. Smiles and shouts of “to die for” greeted our chicken meatballs. The wines flowed freely, and we won’t torture you by describing the desserts. The only downside of the event came when the lovely day turned into a chilly, windy evening. Thankfully, our tent had side panels that protected us from the elements, and the great conversation, the terrific food and the ambi- ence of Italy remained warmly inside. H Jerry Wolkoff, Dr. Larry Reed and Anthony Scotto Richie Zimmer, Amy Rosenblum, Rosanna Scotto, Hoda Kotb, Jay Blumenkopf and Marc and Rebecca Victor Big-eye tuna tartare with “The Scottos have shaved summer vegetable salad, balsamic vinegar, mastered the perfect ginger, soy sauce and wasabi dinner party. Here is the recipe: savory foods—I dare you to say no to their chicken meatballs— delicious drinks and, fi nally, great company.”—HODA KOTB Fresco’s mouthwatering potato and zucchini chips with melted Gorgonzola Chicken meatballs with herbed ricotta Michael Berman and and roasted red pepper tomato sauce Victoria Hagan Conchiglie pasta with lump crab ragu, cherry tomatoes, fresh chilies, white wine and sweet basil 104 HAMPTONS-MAGAZINE.COM 102-105_H_Feat_Entertaining_Ent_11.indd 104 7/7/11 11:22:12 AM Guests enjoyed wine and Marion Scotto’s famous breadsticks before the fi rst course. Roasted baby zucchini with “Parties at the Scottos’ are always garden herbs and red wine vinaigrette glamorous, fun and beyond delicious. Not sure how they do it, but they make everyone feel so special. There is an art to their entertaining.” —VICTORIA HAGAN Bruce and Avis Richards Elaina Scotto and Brett Yormark Louis Ruggiero and Rosanna Scotto HAMPTONS-MAGAZINE.COM 105 102-105_H_Feat_Entertaining_Ent_11.indd 105 7/7/11 11:23:19 AM Guests enjoyed wine and Marion Scotto’s famous breadsticks before the fi rst course. Contributors Some of our favorite Hamptons voices inside this issue NIGEL PARRY arry has snapped some of the biggest celebrities and most of today’s impor- Ptant figures in a photography career that began in London more than 20 years ago. His work has been exhibited across the globe in festivals, museums and galleries, but perhaps his most impressive honor was an invitation to be the first portrait photographer to exhibit at the Cannes Film Festival. Parry has also dabbled in publishing, releasing four photography books, and now focuses his attentions on a series of video projects. The photography master brilliantly captures Emmanuelle Chriqui for our cover. CHUCK SCARBOROUGH carborough, coanchor of News 4 New ROSANNA AND ELAINA SCOTTO York and anchor of New York Nightly he two talented sisters play host in this issue’s Entertaining feature SNews at 7PM, has earned 31 Emmy ) on page 102. Elaina and Rosanna grew up in Brooklyn and have Awards in virtually every category related to DISPIRITO Tsince discovered their own callings. Elaina serves as vice president his field. The celebrated broadcaster served ( of her family’s Fresco by Scotto restaurant in New York City. A former for four years in the US Air Force (he still has OLSZEWSKI fashion public relations representative, working for designers Mary Ann a commercial pilot’s license) before begin- Restivo, Bill Robinson and Yves Saint Laurent, she now does all the PR ning his television career in Mississippi. ADAM ); work for the restaurant and is leading the expansion of Fresco on the Go. Philanthropy is close to Scarborough’s heart; SCOTTO Rosanna, a self-professed avid reader of Hamptons for years, currently the journalist and his wife, Ellen, spend their ( coanchors WNYW’s Good Day New York. As one of the first faces many summers in Southampton where they are STRIFFLER people see in the morning, Rosanna has been awarded three Emmys and hosting the Unconditional Love benefit ERIC numerous Associated Press First Place Awards for her work on-air. for the second year in a row. Scarborough BY Roasted baby zucchini with “Parties at the Scottos’ are always garden herbs and red wine spreads the word on the event that sup- vinaigrette glamorous, fun and beyond delicious. ports the Southampton Animal Shelter Not sure how they do it, but they ROCCO DISPIRITO Foundation in “Sweet Charity” on page 142. PHOTOGRAPHS iSpirito burst onto the culinary scene make everyone feel so special. There after opening his Union Pacific restau- is an art to their entertaining.” Drant in New York City. Since then the —VICTORIA HAGAN acclaimed chef and Amagansett resident has been awarded the James Beard Award for JACK LENOR LARSEN Bruce and Avis Richards his cookbook Flavor, has been named “Best arsen, an internationally recognized New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine and textile designer, author and collec- was the first chef to grace the cover of Gourmet. Ltor, joins us in celebrating the 20th The culinary leader has also made a name for anniversary of the LongHouse Reserve, Elaina Scotto himself as a successful author and television the East Hampton museum and sculpture and Brett Yormark personality. DiSpirito has written six acclaimed garden he founded that also serves as his cookbooks, one of which became a New York private home (page 66). The innovator Louis Ruggiero and Times best seller. He has starred on television in supports traditional contemporary crafts Rosanna Scotto such series as Melting Pot on Food Network, The and has contributed to this artwork with his Restaurant on NBC and A&E’s Rocco Gets Real. weaves, such as the award-winning “Larsen The busy chef’s newest series, Rocco’s Dinner Look,” and through the eponymous fabric Party on Bravo, is a fresh take on the popular firm he opened in 1952. Larsen’s work has culinary competition format. For Hamptons, been so influential across the globe that he DiSpirito—who claims “Mexican grilled corn is holds the distinction of being one of only life-altering”—shares his passion for cooking in four Americans to ever show an exhibition our “Open Kitchen” section (page 118). in the Palais du Louvre. 40 HAMPTONS-MAGAZINE.COM HAMPTONS-MAGAZINE.COM 105 040_H_FOB_Contribs_Ent_11.indd 40 7/7/11 9:46:31 AM 102-105_H_Feat_Entertaining_Ent_11.indd 105 7/7/11 11:23:19 AM.