Executive Chef Giuseppe Asciutto brings a bit of Italy to Wisconsin
St. Camillus Life Plan Community
Located in Wauwatosa, St. Camillus Life Plan Community has been part of the Milwaukee landscape for over 90 years. Initially opened in 1932 as a men’s hospital, the campus has grown to over 20 acres and now includes Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing and Short-Term Rehab, Home & Community Based Services and Hospice. Its mission-based continuum of care provides peace of mind for residents and family members and is an ideal option for senior living.
The Independent Living residences are located on Bluemound Road across from the zoo. With over 440 apartment homes, it is a hub of active seniors. There are many amenities, including a Revitalize Wellness Center with a pool and spa, a movie theater, a golf simulator and a library. The expansive kitchen services four distinct dining venues. This is where you will find Campus Executive Chef Giuseppe Asciutto. Always donning his chef hat, he brings his exuberant personality and Italian flare to the culinary operations of the Pub, Tramontin’s Bistro, Mansfelds and the Bluemound Market.
Born in Sicily, good food was always valued. “In my culture where I grew up, music and opera are art. Food is art, too.” Chef Giuseppe began his culinary career cleaning mussels by the ocean for a fish market. He honed his “front of the house” skills as director of a dining room, standards that are still deep-rooted in him to this day. While he attended school in Palermo, he considers himself more of an “autodidatta” chef, self-taught. Upon graduation, he traveled around Italy to learn new techniques, taste new foods and discover new ingredients. He worked in hotel kitchens and became a member of the FIC, the Federation of Italian Chefs. Upon moving to Milwaukee, he spent over a decade as head chef at what was once Mimma’s Café on Brady Street before joining the St. Camillus team.
For nearly 11 years, Chef Giuseppe has shared his love of Italian food and culture with the residents of St. Camillus. When asked when his interest in cooking began, his face lights up as he recalls his grandma’s chickpea soup. A traditional Sicilian dish, it was one of his childhood favorites. At a young age, he tried to replicate it, and with no recipe to follow, he learned how to make it by taste. “The trick is to use fresh ingredients. Keep it simple.” He adheres to that same adage when cooking at St. Camillus. Pizza day is a favorite for residents and team members. The pizza oven, specially ordered from the AmalfiCoast, sits outside on the West Residence patio. Watching Chef build, bake and serve hundreds of thin-crust personal pizzas is quite a show. Another resident favorite is his lasagna. Using his mother’s recipe, he confides that fennel seeds are the secret ingredient. His delectable homemade gelato is a staple on the dessert menu. Pistachio and mixed berry are the favorite flavors, and always accommodating to diet restrictions, the sugar-free option is popular, too.
While Chef Giuseppe brings his passion and expertise to cooking Italian food, he also brings plenty of creativity to hosting innovative dining experiences as well. “For me, it’s about the people and the atmosphere. The food is the final touch.” One of Chef’s greatest successes was the launching of Italian Nights. Every week, one of the dining venues is transformed into an Italian Bistro, complete with festive place settings and music. Chef’s menu highlights a particular region of Italy. He incorporates the local ingredients and dishes from that area into his cuisine. For a Dinner & A Movie event that featured the film Toscana, he recreated a Tuscan meal from the movie. Residents dined on ribollita and bisteca alla florentina, a Tuscan white bean soup and Italian steak dinner. There is not an empty seat in the house for his cooking demonstrations. Whether he is teaching the several steps required for homemade pasta or the correct amount of sugar for homemade tomato sauce (none, if using San Marzano tomatoes), Chef’s programs are educational as well as entertaining.
Chef Giuseppe can be found outside the kitchen as well. He is well known among the residents, and it is not uncommon to see him having an animated conversation in Italian with another fluent speaker. He regularly makes rounds in the dining rooms to chat with the guests. He is a member of the Resident Advisory Committee’s culinary team, and his door is always open to discuss menu ideas and special diets or help plan a private, catered event. He frequently makes appearances at marketing lunches to answer culinary-related questions. He recently spoke to the Italian culture class about who invented the cannoli, the street food scene in Palermo and the history of the cassata dessert.
Whether Chef Giuseppe has a ladle or microphone in his hand, his passion for all things Italian is evident. For over a decade, he has shared not only his culinary expertise with St. Camillus but his personal and cultural knowledge of Italy as well. His charismatic personality and his love for what he does is evident. “My heart, that’s what I want to give to the residents. Serving them the best I can through my food.”
To schedule a visit to St. Camillus Life Plan Community, contact 414-259-6310.
