Mistura‘s new Chef’s Table is a masterpiece of art, cultural immersion, and culinary excellence. The intimate, 10-person dining experience, which debuted in late November to coincide with the San Luis Obispo restaurant’s 10-year anniversary, offers a multi-sensory journey to Peru.
Chef Nicola Allegretta and his wife Jackeline Ortiz De Zevallos-Allegretta, co-owners of the restaurant as well as Mama’s Meatball and Mistura Catering, replicated a scene from Huacachina in Ica, Peru, in creating the private space within Mistura.
“My wife designed the room,” Allegretta said, explaining that the walls reflect the sand dunes of the desert town, while the table represents the natural spring-fed lake.
Huacachina’s sand dunes are the tallest in South America, while the lake, the continent’s only desert oasis, touts therapeutic properties.
Allegretta worked with Deadwood Revival Design of Paso Robles to create the custom 10-foot table, upon which rests delicate, one-of-a-kind plating that will be used to serve 10 courses of Peruvian specialties.
“I made four of the plates myself with help from Anam Cré Pottery Studio in SLO,” Allegretta said. “Some cost around $200 to make, and we made 10 of each. The other plates are from France, Italy, and Japan.”
The $300 price tag for the current Chef’s Table menu includes tax and gratuity, accompanied by “stories and input on myself, the diverse culinary heritage of Peru, and what I’m trying to create with the dishes,” which will range from Andean delicacies such as alpaca to Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei cuisine, he said.
Future menus will also explore Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and other influences on Peruvian fare, he added, while staying true to Mistura’s mantra of “providing fresh, organic agricultural produce, fishery, and cattle livestock that adhere to strict sustainability practices.”
The new Chef’s Table space, which aligns with Allegretta’s long-standing goal to create different regions of Peru within the restaurant, abuts the pisco distillery, representing Ica’s adjacent Pisco province.
Allegretta’s house-made pisco, a grape-based liquor, is the key component of many specialty cocktails in the restaurant’s bar program. Bottles can also be purchased for home consumption or gifting.
Reflecting on 10 years since opening Mistura in Paso Robles, followed by the restaurant’s move to SLO in 2019, Allegretta says it’s been a wonderful ride.
“I love it,” he said, “I never stop dreaming.”
Born in Kassel, Germany, young Allegretta moved to Molfetta, Italy, where he was raised. Inspired by his mother’s cooking, he obtained a degree from the Italian Culinary Institute of Bari in Puglia, then traveled the world, landing positions in Italy, France, England, Germany, and the Dominican Republic.
In 1999 he moved to the United States, helping to open restaurants in Florida and California, before settling in SLO with his Peruvian-born wife and opening Mama’s Meatball in 2006.
The Allegretta family enterprise currently includes Mistura, Mama’s Meatball, and Mistura Catering, with more to come.
As executive chef of the trio of businesses, the indefatigable Allegretta is immersed in various projects to showcase his global cuisine.
Mama’s Meatball, located adjacent to Mistura, will switch to takeout service only when the Italian eatery opens its primary restaurant at SLO’s Laguna Village Shopping Center later in 2025. Allegretta also recently launched franchise opportunities for additional Mama’s locations.
The success of his catering company, meanwhile, has ratcheted up his industry exposure nationwide—from catering intimate affairs to 3,000-person events such as the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado, and the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, he’s met several notable industry contacts, he said.
Restaurateur and television personality Guy Fieri visited Mama’s Meatball recently and will showcase the eatery on his Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show on Food Network at 9 p.m. on Dec. 13. The episode, titled “Just Like Mom,” will spotlight an Italian joint in SLO that “is bringing real deal flavor with mouthwatering meatballs and a next-level gnocchi pizza bowl.”
Jackeline teases that with the growing exposure, maybe they should name the new Mama’s location “Nicola,” he said.
He’s thinking about it.
The Allegrettas are also involved in multiple charitable projects.
“I am passionate about the Charity: Water organization,” he said, as well as the World Central Kitchen, founded by his friend and fellow chef José Andrés. Mama’s Meatball’s franchising website offers links to both charities.
Additionally, the Allegrettas are regular participants in local fundraisers. Now through the end of December the family will donate $2 from every order of Mistura’s Apasionada sashimi dish to the SLO Food Bank as part of 805 Living magazine’s Dishing It Out for Charity challenge. Δ
Flavor Writer Cherish Whyte is addicted to Peruvian food. She’ll be dreaming of Mistura’s Causa Fogosa and a Diablada
at cwhyte@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 28 – Dec 8, 2024.