Apalpable energy permeates the air at Giusto in Newport as servers whirl about with intent and diners create a persistent hum throughout the lively restaurant. A lustrous quartz bar runs nearly the entire length of the rectangular space, straddling dining areas both inside and out. America’s Cup 12-meter yachts saunter lazily as they prepare to tie up for the night and diners on the boardwalk-esque patio take it all in while sipping sparkling wines and meticulously garnished Instagrammable cocktails.
The scene is exhilarating, emblematic of springtime’s summer promise, but Chef Kevin O’Donnell is nonplussed as he leans purposefully over his seasonal reimagining of pasta e fagioli, a traditional Italian dish, using plating tweezers to finesse fresh leaves of Italian parsley, mint and oregano with effortless precision.
O’Donnell’s sanguine disposition and calm demeanor stand in striking contrast to the stereotype of barking, boisterous, oft-tatted chefs, but one bite of his dishes, which hover at the intersection of Italian flavors and Rhode Island identity, demonstrates the James Beard Award nominee’s talent.
An internship while he was studying at Johnson & Wales took the North Kingstown native on his first international flight to Orvieto, a hilltop city in the heart of Italy. There, he studied under Chef Lorenzo Polegri, who grew up on a nearby farm. “He just had this all-inclusive upbringing and knowledge about food and wine culture in Italy,” says O’Donnell, adding that under Polegri’s tutelage, he came to understand true, authentic Umbrian cuisine. He says the region, roughly equidistant between Florence and Rome, is well known for foraged truffles, legumes including extraordinary lentils, cheese including Pecorino, cured meats and dishes with wild boar, wild hare and pork.
The experience had a profound effect, leading O’Donnell to later move to Italy to cook with Polegri at Ristorante Zeppelin full time. When not working the line, O’Donnell hit the road to savor regional specialties. “What I did, which was the biggest and best influence of my cooking career, was travel the entire country,” says O’Donnell. “I just went to every single region and I would say, ‘All right, I’m going to a town called Amatrice. What are they famous for in Amatrice? Bucatini all’Amatriciana; the pasta with tomato and guanciale [cured pork jowl]. I would go to three restaurants, by myself, and eat the same thing at all three so I understood the nuances of it. And I’d do that everywhere I went.” As most dishes were simple, he developed an appreciation for the critical role of each individual ingredient.
An opportunity to cook at one of New York’s most critically acclaimed eateries lured O’Donnell back stateside. Del Posto, then under the command of Michelin-starred chef Mark Ladner, aligned with O’Donnell’s burgeoning food philosophy.
“The way Ladner approached Italian cooking was very similar to how I do it now. He understood traditional Italian cooking and simplicity, and the importance of quality ingredients and letting those ingredients shine—and he presented them in a really high-end and creative, thoughtful approach,” he says. It was there, O’Donnell says, he learned “how to think outside the box but also pay respect to tradition.”
While rising through the ranks at Del Posto, the culinary standout received an unexpected invitation: to open a restaurant in the heart of Paris. Two weeks later, he was crossing the Atlantic to helm L’Office, shaping what would become an award-winning bistro. “We did Italian food with French influence made with American hands.” After a year, O’Donnell landed in Boston to head up The Salty Pig, later opening SRV with a partner and two owner-partners. But when he and his wife, Sarah Bellemore, learned they were expecting, the two native Rhode Islanders decided they wanted their son to grow up in the Ocean State, close to family. “I felt like we could open a really great restaurant in Rhode Island,” he says.
The family moved to Newport, where O’Donnell’s father was born and raised. Toward the end of 2019, O’Donnell met Sam Bradner, managing partner at Peregrine Group, developer of Hammetts Hotel on Newport’s Commercial Wharf, which was under construction at the time. A detached restaurant space on The Wharf at Hammetts consisted of just concrete floors and steel beams, but when O’Donnell saw its rawness, his vision came together.
“Everything about it felt right. Take Covid out of the equation and the timing was right, the location was right, the opportunity felt right, the restaurant was a blank slate, so I could make it right for us,” explains O’Donnell. And the feeling birthed the restaurant’s name: “Giusto” translated means “just right.”
Determined to bring Italian-inspired cooking through the lens of New England to the City by the Sea, O’Donnell says Giusto’s “freestyle Italian” ethos pays respect to Italian traditions and culture, whilst honoring the simplicity of a dish’s origins by “being thoughtful about how to make it unique without complicating it.”
Sometimes, it’s a singular Italian ingredient that inspires a fresh take. Giusto’s newly introduced “Mortadella in a blanket” is a reimagined classic, an homage to Rhode Island’s iconic Olneyville NY System hot wieners. “It’s pigs in a blanket—one of the best snack foods of all time. We make our own mortadella and stuff it in puff pastry, and the chili sauce that goes on top of a NY System wiener that’s usually ground beef with spices. We made the same exact thing using 100% Italian ingredients. So, instead of ground beef we use n’duja—cured sausage—and instead of celery salt, we use celery root purée, so it’s a little fresher and a little more vegetal.”
O’Donnell’s twist on steamed littlenecks, a Rhode Island staple, simultaneously flirts with New England clam chowder. He starts by steaming the clams with guanciale, along with garlic and white wine. Next, he adds mascarpone, an Italian cream cheese, followed by soft potatoes. The dish is topped with a deep-fried dough boy, ideal for sopping up the velvety liquid left behind.
Like all restaurant owners, O’Donnell and his staff have learned to expect the unexpected over the past two years, but they’ve faced the Covid challenges together.
“I’m sure this is going to be another hard year but I’m really excited about the team we have right now—they’re up for the challenge,” he says. “These are some of the best people I’ve ever worked with, not only from a talent perspective, but also in intelligence and thoughtfulness, and everyone is working really well together. The teamwork is great, so I’m excited to see what we’re capable of doing.”
Giusto
4 Commercial Wharf, Newport
401.324.7400; GiustoNewport.com
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