Celebrity Chef

Born in Messina, Italy, Chef Marco Barrila grew up primed and stuffed from a traditional Italian family. He found his love of cooking during childhood working in his grandmother’s trattoria, La Caraffa, that dates back to the early 18th century and has been owned by his family for over 80 years. With a reputation for outstanding flavors even among the locals, Marco began to hone the sophisticated palate of the finicky eater. From an early stage, he was impressed by the vast range of local and regional dishes.  As his affection for food grew, so did his plot to wet the appetite. Marco enrolled at Escuola Alberchiere to broaden his experience of international cuisine and to the technical methods of cooking. Yearning to earn and learn more, he moved to America at age 24. He was hired fresh off the plane to work as head chef at Sfuzzi serving the richly fed and highly demanding wall-streeters. After performing a couple of other stints at Carmines and the Paramount Hotel, Marco was recruited as executive chef for Fiorellos at Lincoln Center. 
 

Located across from the Metropolitan Opera, Fiorello's was a high volume restaurant with a high profile clientele. With Shelly Fireman, the grande owner and restauranteur at the helm, he required the chefs to be not only naturally talented, but also to be very creative. Shelly supported Marco's uninihibited cooking experience by sending him to international destinations to taste dishes and return to the  kitchen to recreate them in new ways. This lent to Marco's fierce individual influence. He took a restaurant with a passion for food to a new level. Marco made a name for himself by creating the still famed anti-pasti bar. He quickly gained popularity and recognition. In his second year, Marco was nominated as one of New York City’s Top 40 Chefs alongside chef Danielle Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson. Nearly a decade later, even with such an eclectic connection, Chef Marco knew that he ultimately needed to be free to reveal his own joy in the amazing world of gastronomy.

The next restaurant would be his own mom and pop Italian bistro on Bleeker Street. With finger licking fresh pasta plates and live cooking performances, it is easy to see now why the traffic stopped when he opened NOI. It is hard to tell how much the gift of cooking figures into his warmth, his charm also serves him very well. At NOI Marco earned 5 stars by the NY Times Travel Guide among many other awards.  He thought creating a restaurant like this would fulfill his story. However, after the events of 9/11, he was forced to close his bistro and to continue to explore.

Abandoning the city for a weekend holiday trip to the Hamptons, Marco fell in love with the landscape that was similar to his native Sicily. He was quickly offered a new haven at HRH Resorts and Hospitality. Before he could change his mind, he signed on as partner at the Hampton Hall, a remarkable historic venue in the village of Southampton. Here Marco began discovering the astonishing new world of catering and events. Soon he was sharing his great dishes with the Hamptons elite covering countless multi-media events. After a ritual of change of seasons in the Hamptons, Marco was recruited by Robbins Wolffe Eventeurs as their star executive chef where he cooked for thousands of people during a season of twenty four-caret gold line up of events, including the Ross School Concert Series.

Marco's life took a new turn when he met Sheila Minkel, a local real estate guru with deep roots in the community, who shared his passion for food and lifestyle. With previous background in events management, Sheila was ready to embark on a new venture. Together they launched Insatiable EATS, a niche catering company serving sought after international cuisine. Now after five years of success and with a coveted client list, Insatiable EATS has become known as one of the most distinguished and exclusive catering and event companies in the Hamptons. Marco and his creative kitchen team perform for some of the most high profile private parties and annual events on the East End, each distinctly itself, yet happily unified in a highly recognized atmosphere. Insatiable EATS continues to evolve and has expanded with new branches in New York City and West Palm Beach and could be "on its way to becoming a cultural addiction". (Southampton Press)

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS