SAN DIEGO — When it comes to challenging tradition, Pietro Gallo is always looking for his next creation.
“It takes a lot of work, honestly,” he said, standing over a stove monitoring multiple pots. “Since day one, we make things right.”
He is the executive chef at Civico 1845, a contemporary and authentic Italian restaurant.
Pietro is as unique as the food he creates. He’s vegan, but still overseas every dish in his kitchen. His passion for Italian food is just as strong as his belief in offering delicious plant-based options alongside their regular menu. Seven years ago, Civico became the first restaurant in the U.S. to offer a full vegan Italian menu.
“[Vegan food] is still discovering. It’s still evolving, so to me it’s the best challenge,” he said.
Pietro just launched a revamped vegan menu, using the latest cooking techniques and flavor profiles from Italy. Many dishes were inspired by his recent travels and collaborations with Matteo Febbraio, one of Italy’s most celebrated vegan Italian chefs.
New items include risotto with broccoli puree, roasted almonds with paprika, veggie demi-glace, shiitake mushrooms and a dash of Calabrian chili pepper oil; polenta served under a delicious sampling of braised and black garlic infused artichoke, mushroom, sautéed seitan and a veggie demi-glace; and zabaglione, a traditional Italian custard-like dessert with Lingue Di Gatto Italian cookies for dipping.
Pietro said he faced some criticism when he first launched his plant-based menu.
“Many people said ‘We are Italian. How can you cook without cheese? How can you cook without butter, without meat and cheese?’ Everything is possible today,” Pietro Gallo said. “When you use the right technique, you can make even a risotto creamy without using any butter and any cheese.”
Pietro Gallo runs Civico 1845 with his brother Dario Gallo, who designed every aspect of their restaurant with the warmth of Italy in mind. The bar and dining areas were created using reclaimed, natural materials with a focus on sustainability.
“Very rustic but still very modern,” Dario Gallo said. “It fits well with the concept of our cuisine that is contemporary, clean, fresh, without over-doing.”
The brothers were born and raised in Cosenza, Calabria, in the southern part of Italy. Their menu is an homage to those roots and reflects what’s being served in Italy today.
Dario Gallo is not vegan, but believes providing amazing Italian food to everyone is an important mission.
“At the time it was 2015. Restaurants had just little [vegan] options here and there, and they were also very basic,” Dario Gallo said. “Pietro wanted to create a full experience with appetizer, pasta dishes, entrée courses and dessert.”
The first day their new vegan menu was unveiled, the brothers donated 100% of sales to Farm Animal Refuge, a rescue for abused, neglected and unwanted farm animals.
Matt Lieurance is the founder of Farm Animal Refuge and used to be a chef himself. He has seen the dark side of the food industry and hopes Civico’s new way of doing business keeps growing.
“The vegan movement and even just a plant-based diet is the fastest growing social justice movement in our time right now,” Lieurance said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”
He hopes the new menu encourages people to try more plant-based options instead of relying on animals for every meal.
“We were always excited when people want a partnership, but then when it’s vegan food on top of that, you can’t be more excited about anything else,” he said.
Dario Gallo said Civico 1845 is an evolving business model with a deeper purpose.
“We’re giving back to those animals, what we take,” he said.
The brothers frequently donate money to various animal rescues around the world to help meet their mission of giving back, a new way of creating that merges tradition and kindness.
“We can do everything today,” Pietro Gallo said with a grin. “Everybody can enjoy vegan and non-vegan.”
Civico 1845 sits in the heart of San Diego’s Little Italy community at 1845 India Street. Their menu also has many gluten-free options curated with care.