New to Ingredient: Meet Neil Bertucci

Neil Bertucci recently joined us as our new Content Producer, helping to develop and produce recipes for our clients. He grew up in the restaurant industry and has a passion for all things food-related. We can personally attest to his cooking abilities; since he's arrived, we've really enjoyed eating his delicious, creative dishes. We recently sat down with Neil to ask him a few questions and get to know him a little better.

Where did you work before? What did you do there?

Most recently, I was at Bardo Restaurant in Minneapolis. I designed the restaurant and the concept, opened it with a friend, and was the chef there until I left. I grew up in the food industry; my parents owned a restaurant and I owned my first restaurant when I was 23 in Wisconsin.

What made you interested in this job?

I had left Bardo to do freelance photography and help friends with a few restaurant concepts. I found out about this job opening at Ingredient and almost fell out of my chair. If I could design the perfect job, this would be it. I had lived in New York for a while, working for an ad agency and running a restaurant out there, trying to blend my skills. It's crazy that I found a job that pulled it all together back here in Minneapolis.

Where did your passion for food come from?

From my family, from watching my grandmother. She was a tiny little Italian woman who had 15 kids. She would cook for her whole family, getting up at 5 AM to start rolling out pasta, to make pasta by hand for the whole family. She made insane amounts of food. She was always cooking, and for as long as I can remember, I was right next to her, helping her.

What do you hope to accomplish here?

Of course, I want to create amazing photographs and videos; but even more so, I want to push the envelope. I don't want to just do what everyone else is doing. I want to create our own niche – to create a trend versus follow a trend. We have all the resources and tons of talent and we are already starting to do that now.

What's your favorite recipe to make?

I love making pasta!