Gemma at The Bowery Hotel is one of those rare New York restaurants that feels as complete as a great Italian dining room in Roma or Milano. Chef Andrea Taormina treats tradition as a living language, not a museum piece. The menu leans into classic Italian flavors and familiar dishes, but each plate carries a contemporary lightness and a precise, almost painterly sense of color and space that comes from his background as an artist.
What arrives at the table is food that is deeply comforting yet quietly refined. The arancini with saffron, ham and besciamella recall his childhood in Palermo, while the broader menu stays rooted in seasonality and simplicity, with no shortcuts and no unnecessary complication. It is the kind of cooking that feels generous and from the heart, the way you hope to eat in Italy itself.
Gemma’s charm is not only on the plate. The room has an easygoing warmth, and the hospitality is relaxed, attentive and genuinely friendly, echoing the spirit of a neighborhood trattoria. Guests are never forced into a rigid “chef’s vision” and instead find a menu that is straightforward, approachable and designed for evenings that unfold at their own pace.
In conversation with DSCENE’s Editor in Chief, Zarko Davinic, Chef Andrea Taormina reflects on how art, Sicilian roots and a disciplined philosophy in the kitchen come together at Gemma, shaping one of New York’s most quietly confident Italian restaurants.
You originally imagined a future as an artist before discovering hospitality. In what ways does that early ambition still shape how you cook and build menus at Gemma today? – I did pivot to a career in hospitality, yet continued and still currently making art when not in the kitchen. Being an artist adds a visual dimension for me as a chef when creating a dish both chromatically and spatially.
You took an unconventional path to the kitchen, starting front of house at places like Pastis and Morandi. What did working the floor teach you about food, guests, and service that you might have missed if you had gone straight into the kitchen? – I definitely understood that most customers like to get what they want and sometimes care less about what the chef vision really is. I learned a lesson in this position to keep menus simple and approachable.
Traditional, simple, approachable, unsophisticated, generous, delicious, food you want to come back to because it feels authentic and from the heart.
Gemma is known for its easygoing atmosphere. How do you translate that feeling into the way you design a menu and pace an evening for guests every night? – Traditional, simple, approachable, unsophisticated, generous, delicious, food you want to come back to because it feels authentic and from the heart.
Can you share one specific dish at Gemma that carries a story from your childhood in Palermo? – The saffron, ham and besciamella arancini, it was my snack when I got off from grade school they were affordable enough for a kid to buy with his allowance.
You have seen “farm-to-table” become a buzzword, even though it was simply a way of life in Sicily in the 1980s. How do you keep seasonal cooking authentic and meaningful? – Like Confucius said “the wise cook knows that good flavor begins long before the kitchen”
What systems or rituals help you protect that emotional connection to cooking during the most intense services? – Most of all it’s important to stay calm. I’ve adopted a Japanese warrior philosophy that says “Treat great matters though they were small, and small matters as though they were great”
What are the small details you obsess over in the kitchen that most guests might never notice, but you feel immediately? – No shortcuts.
Most of all it’s important to stay calm. I’ve adopted a Japanese warrior philosophy that says “Treat great matters though they were small, and small matters as though they were great.
What qualities in another chef or artisan instantly tell you they truly respect their craft? – I have a few friends who I admire who are very talented and dedicated to their work, they invest time and effort and that creates energy and results. I not only respect them but they inspire me to improve.
What flavors or dishes instantly signal the start of the Christmas season for you, whether from your childhood in Sicily or your life now in New York? – Panettone is my weakness, I will have one around at home for the all month of December I really need to pace myself this year.
Discover more of Gemma at The Bowery in our gallery:
Gemma at The Bowery Hotel
Address: 335 Bowery, New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 505-7300
For the full menu visit theboweryhotel.com.
