VUE

I sat amazed as Gaccione continued to lay her career out in front of me. Whether it was her opening nearly half a dozen restaurants with various well-respected chefs, or her eight years of work as one of Bobby Flay's go-to chefs, she has established a career that is book-worthy while doing it all under the radar. Perhaps a low-profile was the key to her collection of successes before even turning 30 years old; however, when it came time to move on as an independent chef is when Gaccione really began to make a name for herself. In 2015, Gaccione opened her long-awaited restaurant, South + Pine in Morristown, NJ. Fresh, seasonal food was one of the most important factors in the conceptualization of that restaurant—it still is today. We conversed about the impact of serving high- quality meat in a restaurant setting. Not only does it taste better than its mass produced counterparts, but it is more ethically responsible. What Gaccione described as "chicken-y chicken" to me may have seemed like a jest, but she was entirely serious. When you eat a piece of meat from an animal that was raised right, it truly does taste better. e acceptance of eating meat, and what it means for that animal and the environment—it is not a "no harm" industry. "When people order a lamb chop here, they think of it as just that, a lamb chop. What so many people fail to realize is that a lamb chop comes from an actual lamb—an animal that was once alive and was killed for us to consume," Gaccione said. Similarly Gaccione is always sourcing local produce when she can. She feels it is important to both the guests and to keeping local farms running. Besides, what many fail to see is that New Jersey is covered with rich farmland all throughout the state. Perhaps even more important to Gaccione, was the removal of anything resembling pretentiousness. e open kitchen offers a glance into hecticity for hungry diners, and the simply dressed servers bring comfort to the table. Furthermore, the dishes put in front of you resemble in both taste and visuals something that you may receive at a restaurant with a strict dress code. is is what sets South + Pine apart for me. I have a guilty pleasure for the gluttonous, the meals that are inaccessible for many. ey may make you feel like you're on the set of a movie when you eat them, but their aesthetics oen skew your opinions on the actuality of the meal itself. e affordability, and casual atmosphere of a restaurant like South + Pine is always there to bring me back into reality. What is perhaps the most admirable of Gaccione's profile is her insistence on giving both her staff and herself a life outside of work. is means two days off a week, reasonable hours and time off when truly needed. So oen in this industry, the people who put the most in for you are spread too thin, and it has become a turn-off from restaurants for many. She finds it important to treat her staff to the privilege of living outside of work, and it has not failed her yet. Even more apparent, it has not failed diners, either. V U E N J . C O M 116

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