The Felidia Crew
These are some of the great people who work at Felidia, one of my restaurants in New York, and they will be writing about their experiences. They have stories to tell and I hope you enjoy getting to know them.
Fortunato Nicotra
Fortunato grew up in the small town of Baucina, approximately 45 minutes from Palermo, Sicily. At the age of four, his family moved north to Torino, where he remained for most of his childhood and teenage years. His childhood friends were always over at his house for meals; Carmela Di Benedetto Nicotra was, and still is, a fabulous cook. Her specialties, which are still a requirement during his annual visits, include: pasta con le sarde (Palermo style pasta with a tomato based sauce of pine nuts, raisins, sardines and wild fennel); cannoli (a much lighter version than what you often find in Italian-American joints in the U.S.); capretto al forno (roasted goat with potatoes and herbs). The other major culinary influence in Fortunato’s life was Signora Delfina, a Piedmontese widow who cared for him while his mother was working. “She made the most amazing meat-filled agnolotti, but she did drink warm milk with a chunk of butter every evening for dinner which I never understood.”
After attending culinary school in Torino, receiving a Michelin star in Sicily and another shortly afterwards, he headed to New York in 1996 to become the Executive Chef of Felidia. He married Shelly Burgess, also part of the Bastianich team, and now lives in Bergen County, New Jersey where he has started growing his own vegetables and herbs with lots of help from his four year old daughter, who loves to plant AND pick. As for his seven year old son Alex, “He isn’t interested in gardening but is a great eater. In fact, I always tell the story of a Thanksgiving gathering when we lived in Manhattan. Chefs Odette Fada, Filippe Bertineau and Michael White were a few that attended. At the age of three, Alex ate wild boar pate and foie gras. At seven, he’s a little hesitant to eat everything he did at that age, but we keep trying!” Fortunato also loves to play soccer with Alex who aspires to become a goalie for the Italy soccer team when he grows up.
Nicholas Finger
Growing up in and around New York City, Nicholas Finger started in the restaurant business at a young age. His first love was bagels, and he spent the whole of his high-school career slicing, toasting and lathering them with cream cheese. To this day his affection for them has not wavered, and he still refuses to choke down inferior bagels and warily eat them upon leaving the confines of the metro area. Arriving hot on the heels of those delicious bagels was the magical beverage of wine, which quickly developed into Nick’s passion. While studying with the American Sommeliers Association, he earned certification in both Viticulture and Vinification in addition to Advanced Blind Tasting. Visiting the vineyards and wineries of Italy and California only furthered his interest in the subject and propelled him toward a career in the wine trade. After a brief respite from restaurants, where Nick worked for a wine importer and distributor, he returned by joining the staff at Felidia in 2006 and becoming Wine Director in 2007. When not uncorking, pouring, tasting, teaching or writing about wine he is also an avid amateur boxer and chess player. Nick currently resides in Brooklyn, New York only two blocks away from some terrific bagels.
Haley Salles
What an amazing job, getting to throw parties for a living! That’s what I do at Felidia as the private dining manager. Throughout my life I have always enjoyed a good party, whether it was poolside at the University of Arizona or now at one of Lidia’s many restaurants. A Manhattan native, I grew up with a broad culinary education, exposed to some of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. I started my working life as an intern in the kitchen (which lasted all of five minutes), so I took the advice of a wise restaurateur who said that you can’t hide this face in the back of the house! 
Working at Felidia has allowed me to fuse my passion for food with my magnetic personality and love of people. When I’m not at work, I enjoy trying new restaurants with friends, spending time with my dog Lola…and looking for a boyfriend.
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