In a city flooded with culinary experimentation, Amo Seafood has carved out a distinct identity by bringing traditional Neapolitan and Sicilian seafood to the table. The restaurant, co-founded eight months ago by entrepreneur Rosario Procino and chef Pasquale Cozzolino, was recently spotlighted during the spring convivial dinner of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian Academy of Cuisine).
Hosted by Delegate Roberta Marini de Plano, the event introduced Academicians to the restaurant’s uncompromising commitment to authenticity. Among the guests were physicians, food industry professionals, and Italy’s Consul General in New York, Fabrizio Di Michele.
“In a city as competitive as this one, Procino achieved something remarkable,” Di Michele said. “He has become a touchstone for the Italian community.”
Procino’s path to the kitchen wasn’t straightforward. After leaving the telecom sector, he followed a growing passion for food. “The more I worked with food, the more it became a mission,” he said, recalling how in 2008, he risked everything to bring la vera pizza napoletana to New York. “Back then, no one liked it. They said it was too slushy, too thick.”
He launched Kesté Pizza & Vino, then sold it and partnered with Cozzolino to open Ribalta in Union Square — now a fixture in the Neapolitan diaspora. Eight months ago, he turned his attention to seafood.
“Americans go to Italy, eat incredible seafood, come home, and find nothing like it here,” Procino said. “That’s what pushed us to create Amo.”
The restaurant’s menu reflects Procino’s vision of Italian seafood at its purest. From Mazara del Vallo red shrimp to branzino sourced from the waters off Orbetello, ingredients are often imported directly from Italy, with an emphasis on seasonal products and minimal processing.
“If you need to add garlic, onions, and spices all at once, you’re probably masking poor quality,” Procino explained. “Take branzino. You’ll find it everywhere in New York, but most are farm-raised. The taste doesn’t compare.”
For the Accademia’s dinner, guests were served a curated appetizer platter: crostini with smoked mozzarella and Cantabrian anchovies, Arctic salmon tartare on Gattiau bread, lobster croquettes, and shrimp cocktail. The highlights of the evening were spaghettoni alle vongole and grilled branzino from Orbetello. Dessert was a refined take on a classic: lemon caprese cake topped with pistachio cream.
