Congratulations, Joey Gramaglia! The chef and owner of Warren’s popular
Saly G’s restaurant was crowned “Chopped Champion” on the December 29th episode of the popular television cooking competition show, Chopped. He beat out three other chefs by staying true to what he does best. That is also his recipe for Saly G’s success. He took over the kitchen of the family-owned Saly G’s in 2013. At that time, he transformed the menu to highlight his grandmother’s Neapolitan recipes while using modern techniques and plating to give them his own unique twist.
Joey grew up in the restaurant business. His family owns several restaurants and he learned how to cook from being in the kitchen, especially from his grandmother. Traditional Italian cooking focuses on fresh ingredients and the flavors each ingredient brings to the dish. Once he learned these basics, he perfected his technique and could give his own creative mark on traditional recipes. That is what he brings to Saly G’s and that is what made him Chopped champion.
The competitors on Chopped are all professional chefs who are given a basket filled with often unusual ingredients that they are tasked with incorporating into an appetizer, an entree, and for the final two competitors, a dessert. The least favorite dish gets “chopped” and does not advance to the next round. To make things more difficult, the chefs are cooking each dish in a high pressure, timed competition.
“I knew going into the show that I was going to stick to my roots and stay close to the dishes that I know work,” Joey remembers. His baskets were filled with ingredients as varied as Limburger cheese, a pickle bouquet, and a french toast tower. These ingredients would, and have, thrown off many professional chefs, but not Joey. The menu at Saly G’s is filled with traditional dishes as a base, but Joey incorporates seasoning and fresh ingredients that take a traditional dish and make it sing. All of the pasta at Saly G’s is homemade.
All of the meats are hand-selected, hand-cut, and seasoned to perfection. On the show, he knew how to make the best of the ingredients that he was given and incorporate them into a traditional dish to make it even better.
Saly G’s offers appetizers like clams casino and a vegetable tower with layers of eggplant, zucchini fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and tomato with olive oil and a balsamic glaze. They have a variety of homemade, flavorful pasta dishes including mushroom ravioli and truffle gnocchi with sweet onions, a brown butter sauce, and toasted bread crumbs. There are a wide variety of chicken dishes as well as steaks, fish, veal, and mouthwatering daily specials. The full menu and specials are available at www.salygsrestaurant.com.
See for yourself why Saly G’s stands out above any competition.
Call 732-667-7400 or go online for a reservation. The restaurant, located at
The Corner Village at 169 Washington Valley Road in Warren is open daily for dinner and for lunch every day except Sunday.
You can dine-in, take out, or order from a delicious catering menu.