There’s something magical about walking into Cremini’s in Carroll Gardens. Maybe it’s the aroma of gently sizzling Ascoli olives, or Riccardo’s genuine smile as he greets you like an old family friend. But the real magic is in the story behind this little Italian bistro that did the impossible: bringing the authentic flavors of Le Marche to America for the first time.
Elena Salati and Riccardo Massetti are not the typical restaurateurs you’d expect to find in Brooklyn. She, an architect by profession in Italy, he, a manager in the banking sector—two solid, well-paid, respectable careers. Yet, in 2019, they dropped everything to pursue a dream that seemed crazy to many: to convince New Yorkers that there was a culinary Italy yet to be discovered.
“When we told people we wanted to open a restaurant dedicated to the cuisine of the Marche, they looked at us as if we were crazy,” laughs Riccardo, while Elena nods amusedly. “Everyone knows Tuscan cuisine, Neapolitan cuisine, Sicilian cuisine. But the Marche? Even many Italians don’t know what they eat in our area.”
And it is precisely this “ignorance” that the two have turned into their fortune. Because if there is one thing that Elena and Riccardo have understood during their travels – “we were always looking for inspiration, focusing on food and entertainment” – it is that authenticity has an unmistakable flavor.
The Madness of a Cinematic Dream
The story of Cremini's really sounds like a movie script. Imagine: it's 2019, the economy is booming, restaurants are opening one after another in New York. Elena and Riccardo decide to bet everything on an ambitious project, without government funding, counting only on the quality of their dishes. Then 2020 arrives, and with it the pandemic that has brought the restaurant world to its knees.
“It was terrifying,” admits Elena, whose background as an architect taught her to plan everything down to the smallest detail. “But somehow, perhaps precisely because we had no alternative, we resisted. People needed authenticity, something real, and we offered that.”
While many places closed or completely reinvented themselves, Cremini's stood firm, buoyed by a clientele that had learned to appreciate something entirely new in the New York food scene. “Without government funding and only with quality food,” they repeat with pride, and that phrase captures their entire approach to life and business.
The Olives That Made History
If we had to choose a symbol of Cremini's success, it would definitely be the Ascolana olives. Elena tells me the story as if it were a fairy tale: “In the 1800s, a chef who worked for a noble family had different types of leftover meat. Instead of throwing it away, he had a brilliant idea: remove the stones from the olives and stuff them with that minced meat.”
Today, Cremini's is the only restaurant in America that offers authentic Ascolana olives, and they haven't stopped at the classic recipe. They've developed four variations - classic, vegetarian, gorgonzola and 'nduja - to suit the tastes of the American public without betraying tradition.
“People go crazy for our olives,” smiles Riccardo. “They don’t know what to expect, then they try one and immediately order the whole plate.” That’s the effect authenticity has when it meets curiosity.
But the olives are just the beginning. The cremini—those golden cubes of breaded and fried custard that give the restaurant its name—are another revelation to American palates. “People don’t understand how they can be so good,” Elena explains. “It’s the combination of salty and sweet, crunchy and creamy. It’s something that’s been around since the Roman Empire, but no one has ever tasted it here.”
When the Press Finds Out About You
Cremini's success hasn't gone unnoticed. Eater NY's Robert Sietsema named their crescia sandwich "sandwich of the week," writing words that Elena and Riccardo treasure: "We now have a truly accurate representation of Crescia and the sandwiches made with it at Cremini's."
Even La Cucina Italiana, the American version, dedicated an article to their “Pasta Le Marche” – those fried fettuccine balls with minced meat that seem like a modern invention but have their roots in the peasant tradition of the Marche region.
“When the Eater article came out, the phone rang for days,” Riccardo recalls. “It was confirmation that we were doing something right, that people wanted to discover new flavors.”
The Aperitif as a Philosophy of Life
But Elena and Riccardo didn’t just transport recipes across the ocean. They brought with them an entire philosophy of life, that of the Italian aperitif. “In Italy, aperitif is not just a drink before dinner,” Elena explains. “It’s a moment of socializing, of relaxation, of sharing. It’s a ritual that we wanted to recreate here.”
The result is a menu that revolves around small bites and good wine, perfect for the frenetic pace of New York but true to the laid-back spirit of Italy. “We wanted to give people a taste of our Italianness without the jet lag,” Riccardo says, and the joke is funny but it hits the nail on the head: Cremini’s is a little piece of Italy transplanted to Brooklyn.
Two Professionals Who Changed Their Lives
What is most striking in Elena and Riccardo’s story is their courage. She, an accomplished architect, he with a solid career in banking marketing – both had everything to lose and little to gain, at least on paper. “Our families thought we were crazy,” Elena admits. “Leaving safe jobs to open a restaurant in New York, specializing in a cuisine that no one knew…”
But they had something that was worth more than any business plan: authentic passion. “During our travels, we were always attentive to the food, the atmosphere, the local traditions,” Riccardo says. “And we realized that the cuisine of the Marche, this region that gave birth to Raphael, Rossini, Leopardi, was completely unknown in America.”
Carroll Gardens, Home Away From Home
The place itself reflects this philosophy. It’s not your typical Italian restaurant with tricolor flags and tourist clichés. It’s a welcoming, multifunctional space where you can come for a quick aperitif or stop for a quiet dinner. “We fell in love with Carroll Gardens,” Elena says. “It has that human dimension that reminds us of our villages in Italy.”
And you can feel this authenticity. When Elena and Riccardo talk about their restaurant, they are not selling something – they are sharing a part of themselves. “Everything we serve is made with love,” they say, and it doesn’t sound like a slogan but like a promise kept every day.
The Silent Revolution of the Marches
What Elena and Riccardo are doing goes beyond simple dining. They are introducing Americans to one of the most authentic and least contaminated regions of Italy by mass tourism. “Le Marche is the land of Italian abundance,” they explain. “A region that has remained true to its traditions even when the world around it was changing.”
It's a cultural mission, in a way. In a gastronomic landscape dominated by fusion and experimentation, they have chosen the most difficult path: that of total authenticity. They have not watered down the flavors to adapt them to the American palate, they have not given in to the fashions of the moment.
“We’re pretty sure you’ve never tasted anything like this before,” they say, and they’re right. Because Cremini’s isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a window into an Italy that many don’t know, the Italy of traditions passed down from generation to generation, where every dish has a story to tell.
The Future is Already Here
Watching Elena and Riccardo talk about their projects, you understand that this is just the beginning. They have created something unique in the New York restaurant scene, and now they are reaping the rewards of that risky bet in 2019.
“We proudly honor the simple mastery of Le Marche regional cuisine every day at our Brooklyn bistro,” they say, and those words say it all: pride in their roots, respect for tradition, love for what they do.
Their story is that of many Italians who have brought the best of our country to the world, but with a difference: Elena and Riccardo have not exported the usual image of Italy. They have shared a hidden treasure, they have discovered forgotten flavors, they have built a bridge between two cultures through the universal language of good food.
An Invitation Worth a Trip
If you happen to be in New York, take a detour to Carroll Gardens. At 521 Court Street you will find Cremini's, and with it Elena and Riccardo, two people who have transformed an impossible dream into a delicious reality. You will taste the first authentic Ascolana olives of your American life, you will discover what cremini are, you will understand why crescia has conquered even the most demanding critics.
But above all, you will experience an authentic Italy, the one that Elena and Riccardo jealously guard and generously share with anyone who wants to discover it. For reservations and information, their website www.creminis.com awaits you. Because certain stories, like certain flavors, must be experienced firsthand.
And trust me: after tasting the cuisine of the Marche according to Elena and Riccardo, you will understand why they gave up everything for this dream. Some follies, in fact, turn out to be the wisest decisions in life.
