Friday, April 14, 7:00 pm
Members, $90, guests, $115

Though a far cry from brisket and matzoh farfel, fried baby artichokes, polenta and anchovy fritters, and honey-roasted hen filled with dates are the types of dishes that have graced Seder tables across Italy for centuries. Just ask chef Walter Potenza, an expert on Italian-Jewish cuisine, who serves up dishes like these every spring at the critically acclaimed Italian Passover dinner at Walter’s, his Providence restaurant. Luckily for us, this year he’s staging his popular feast at the Beard House.

Potenza, a native of Abruzzo, Italy, was playing soccer professionally until he realized his talent for cooking. He attended the Culinary School of Villa Santa Maria in Chieti, and moved to the United States in 1972, where he worked in some of New England’s finest kitchens before opening his own restaurant, Walter’s, in 1987. In the years following, he established Sunflower Café, the Inn of Clay, and Aquaviva. He also opened Taverna Dei Ricordi in his hometown in Italy, hosted the Emmy Award–winning cooking show Flavors & Knowledge, and established Chef Walter’s Cooking School, where he teaches classes on everything from terra cotta cookery to one-pot winter meals.

Along the way, Potenza established himself as one of Providence’s pioneer Italian chefs. The Providence Phoenix claimed he “upped the sophistication of Italian cuisine on Federal Hill,” and Saveur referred to him as one of the “Kings of the Hill” in its feature on the most important Italian-American chefs in Providence. But Potenza’s expertise in food history sets him apart; he is fascinated by the culinary merging of different cultures. Though not Jewish himself, Potenza has traveled throughout the Jewish towns of Italy, speaking with villagers and recording their recipes, to learn the history of Italian-Jewish cuisine. He began serving Italian-Jewish food at his restaurants over 15 years ago to the delight of Providence diners.