In The Kitchen- A Taste of Campania in NYC

From the team behind Rezdora comes their sister restaurant, Massara, located just a block away. This stunning two-story space features multiple bars and dining areas, with a vibrant open kitchen centered around a beautiful wood-fired oven. Like Rezdora, Massara puts a spotlight on exceptional pasta, but also delights with an expanded menu crafted from that signature oven.

I visited to experience their pasta tasting menu and the incredible pizzettes—check out the video below for a closer look. But I couldn’t stop there; I had to dive even deeper into the meal with Chef Stefano Secchi himself.

Tell us a little about Massara?

Massara is our second restaurant in NYC and celebrates the cuisine of Campania. Massara means matriarch/head of the household in Campanian dialect, and the menu takes inspiration from my childhood memories of visiting Southern Italy and the region’s rich abundance of farms and fisheries, all centered around cooking from both a wood-burning oven and grill.

Why was it important to showcase the food of Campania? What is distinct to that region? 

At our restaurants, we focus on particular regions of Italy and showcase their unique ingredients, histories, techniques and more. From the fresh seafood sourced on the Amalfi coast, peppered with hillsides covered in lemon groves, to iconic pizza from Naples, to its bountiful farmland, home to the native water buffalo—Campania is one of Italy’s richest agricultural regions.

With the success of Rezdora, was there extra pressure opening a new concept?

We are very committed to creating exceptional dining experiences are both our restaurants, and the reception has been so heartwarming. Massara is a completely unique concept so we certainly felt the pressure to get it right, and we are evolving and hopefully improving every single day.

Tell me more about the sourdough starter you use, it came from a fishing trip when you were a kid? 

Yes! For our pizzette, we use a “lievito madre” starter which has been nurtured for years from wild yeast that I brought back from a family fishing trip with my Uncle Dino over thirty years ago.

The pizzettes were so unbelievable also, any thoughts on an even more casual just pizza spot next? 

Not at this moment, our focus is on Rezdôra and Massara.

What's your favorite thing on the menu? Any sleepers? 

So many sleepers but obviously (aside from the pastas) we are also focusing on the wood burning grill and WHOLE FISH cookery from Dock to Dish. What people in NYC sometimes don't realize is that Montauk is a top 5 fishing destination IN THE WORLD and we are committed to using Dock to Dish to bring some incredible whole fish from Montauk. We debone and age the fish, then get a crispy, smokey skin over the wood fire...it's some of the best whole fish (Boca Nera & John Dory (San Pietro) for example) found anywhere, we take great pride in it.