Some people call chef Ray Gennaro Aurioso the Michael Jordan of chefs, but many more call him their private chef.
Aurioso, 50, a veteran in the business and Johnson and Wales culinary school graduate owns Chef Ray’s Gourmet, which provides gourmet meals, including private parties, catering and delivery of trays of food.
When he goes into homes, he brings his own equipment, sets the table, cooks a gourmet meal for up to 20 people, leaves the kitchen as clean as he found it, and guests are raving about the tastes.
”He’s a five-star rating,” said client Julie Cestaro. “He’s absolutely amazing, top of the line. What he put out is better than you can get a restaurant.”
Aurioso started in the business when he was about 9 years old, at his father’s restaurant Ristorante Amalfi in East Haven, then became a line cook at age 11 at his dad’s legendary Gennaro’s Restaurant in New Haven. His now late father, Gennaro Aurioso and mother, Tina Aurioso, also owned Christina’s Cafe and Amalfi Grille, both in New Haven.
“I was born with a gift to cook,” Aurioso said, noting he can look at a recipe and make it better immediately. “It’s in my blood. I love it.”
The menu has no bounds, as Aurioso said, “I can make anything in the world.”
On Christmas Eve he will be making the traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes for a client and their guests.
Aurioso business combines various endeavors. Aside from the private chef component, he makes and delivers trays of gourmet food, and delivers three course fine dining meals to fire stations to feed firefighters, an undertaking that began as a donation program on his part.
After years of cooking the meals for firefighters on his own dime, Chef Ray now collects donations for the gesture, doing it for $250 no matter the number of firefighters. Soon he will serve the fire station in Simsbury where they lost a firefighter on Thanksgiving. He also hopes to cook a meal for the family.
“I do it to say, ‘thank you for putting your life on the line every day,’” he said
He also teaches hands-on cooking at The Kitchen Company in North Haven, and does cooking demonstrations at Consiglio’s in New Haven.
Pam Acquarulo of North Haven said she’s used “Chef Ray” as he is known for numerous home get togethers and he’s “personable,” “extremely reasonable” and his food is “delicious.”
“I think he’s fabulous,” she said. “He doesn’t need a thing from you and he leaves the kitchen as he found it.”
Jason Richetelli, of Milford, said he’s used Chef Ray about 10 times and he’s “amazing,” and “has a way of making the flavor jump out of the food.”
Richetelli said Chef Ray has cooked steak dinners, lemon chicken, chicken marsala, Thanksgiving and more at his home. Richetelli said the vegetables are always, “perfectly al dente” and he varies the style of sides like mashed potatoes to compliment the dish.
While having a chef put on a dinner party at home may seem a thing for the wealthy, he said many everyday people use the service as well, Aurioso said. Sometimes house calls are a simple dinner for two, he said.
Aurioso travels out of state to do the private chef service, although he prefers to stick to the East Coast. Aurioso said the private parties start at $200 per person Monday through Thursday and $250 Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Aurioso, who lives in Wallingford, said he’s often told he makes a great Shepherd’s pie and one regular client went bonkers for his turkey tetrazzini, telling him, “it brought me back to my youth.”
Cestaro said Chef Ray has cooked many dinners for her family’s private Striper Lodge (fishing lodge) for several men and also cooked for private events at her home.
He made a seafood tower for her birthday dinner and it reminded her of something she once had at The Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Aurioso said his father was recruited from Italy at age 22 to come to the United States to cook many years ago.
How does Chef Ray feel when he sees people enjoying his food?
“It means everything to me… It’s a high that you can’t replace,” he said. “I’m an artist when it comes to food.”
Aurioso said he uses top of-the-line ingredients, including seafood, meat and cheeses.
“I don’t cut corners. It’s never been about the dollar,” he said.