Tucked away in Newbury Park is Cedro, a casual Italian eatery located in a strip mall, but don’t let the location fool you. This restaurant does not skimp on authenticity.
Co-owned by Chef Matteo Di Nicola and Mattia Raimondi, who originally met in Italy and reconnected in the United States, Cedro also landed on California’s Michelin Guide.
The business partners decided on Newbury Park for their restaurant’s location because it reminded them of back home.
“It has a very Italian vibe somehow,” both agreed.
While the ambiance is “casual” and “simple,” that isn’t the same for the food.
“Matteo, I believe, is a magician in the kitchen. Honestly, it’s like being in Italy. It really focuses on the Italian experience,” Raimondi explained. “We try to charge a fair price, we give you really good wine, really good food. We have Italian people coming here a lot too and whenever they try the food they’re like ‘Wow, this pasta, the last time I had this was in Rome. The last time I had
Osso Buco was in Milan.”
When it comes to Di Nicola’s passion for his craft, stemmed from watching his grandmother in the kitchen.
Both men didn’t know their restaurant was even featured in the Michelin Guide until a new patron revealed that’s how they heard about the spot. While both were excited about the achievement, Di Nicola says he’s just getting started.
“Now I’ll have high expectations because of this,” he explained.
While Cedro’s Osso Buco and ragù pasta are popular, DiNicola shared his recipe for the restaurant’s carbonara pasta so you can have a taste of Italy at home.
This segment of California Cooking with Jessica Holmes aired on Episode 175.
Cedro’s carbonara pasta:
Ingredients:
¼ cup Guanciale
Pasta (tonnarelli or spaghettoni)
1 Egg
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup of pecorino cheese
Instructions:
- Add guanciale to a hot pan with a tablespoon of oil. Wait for the guanciale to start frying, then when the guanciale is crispy remove it and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in boiling water.
- In a bowl, mix egg, parmesan and pecorino cheese.
- Once the pasta is cooked, transfer the pasta with a small amount of pasta water, to the pan with the guanciale oil. Cook a little in the pan so that the pasta absorbs the flavor.
- Next, add the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta in the pan and mix together off the heat.
- Place pan back on low heat and wait for the sauce to become a creamy consistency.
- To plate, add ground black pepper, pecorino and the previously cooked crispy guanciale.
- Enjoy!
This segment of California Cooking with Jessica Holmes aired on Episode 175.
