Ralph Scamardella and the Kitchen He Never Left Behind

A close-up, black-and-white studio portrait captures a man with short, textured hair looking directly forward with a calm, neutral expression. He is dressed in a dark, subtly patterned suit jacket worn over a white collared shirt and a light-colored paisley tie. Leaning slightly forward, the man is positioned on the left side of the frame, while the bright, solid white background on the right creates a clean and minimalist composition.

It started with a Brooklyn kitchen.

Not a famous one. Not one with a name. Just a room where the son of Italian immigrants watched fresh produce turn into dinner, where the seasons decided what landed on the table, and where cooking was simply what a family did together.

Ralph Scamardella has spent nearly four decades since then, in kitchens across three American cities and now high above Singapore. But if you listen to how he talks about food, you can still hear that first room in it.

The Boy From Brooklyn

An eye-level, medium-wide shot looks down Washington Street in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, capturing the iconic view of the Manhattan Bridge framed by historic industrial buildings. Multi-story red brick structures line the right side of the street, while a mix of brick buildings, green trees, and a street sign reading "FRONT ST" occupy the left. In the background, the massive blue steel tower of the Manhattan Bridge spans across the view, perfectly framing the distant Empire State Building within its lower archway. At street level, a lively crowd of pedestrians and various food trucks fill the roadway, adding a bustling energy to the urban scene.

His parents came from Italy. They brought with them a way of cooking that needed no explanation — fresh ingredients, seasonal produce, respect for what the market gave you that week.

Scamardella grew up inside that rhythm. Long before culinary school, before the accolades, he already understood the thing that most cooks spend years chasing: good food starts with good ingredients, treated simply.

That belief never left him. It’s the quiet spine of everything he cooks now, even fifty-seven floors up.

Learning the Trade

An eye-level, medium shot captures the sophisticated exterior facade of "THE POLO BAR" by Ralph Lauren on a city street. The restaurant entrance features polished brass framing, a dark glass window displaying the establishment's name in bold gold lettering, and a deep green tartan plaid curtain lining the lower half of the window. A row of neatly manicured green shrubs sits in a planter box along the sidewalk in the foreground, while a green awning with "RALPH LAUREN" text is visible on the far left, and a blue "Grade A" sanitary inspection sign stands on the far right.

He didn’t rush.

He began his studies at New York City’s Technology Institute, learning the business side — hotel and restaurant management — while sharpening his hands at The Plaza Hotel’s French restaurant. Two educations at once. One in numbers, one in flame.

Then came the turn that shapes so many great cooks: a mentor.

He worked under Daniel Boulud at Polo Restaurant, one of the true masters. You don’t come out of a kitchen like that unchanged. You learn how discipline feels, how precision becomes a habit, how a plate can carry intention.

The recognition followed. At Vanessa’s, where he served as Executive Chef, he earned a two-star review from The New York Times. Later, as chef and partner, he helped drive the concept and success behind Carmine’s — a place that fed crowds and meant it.

After nearly fifteen years and several projects, he stepped out of the kitchen for a while to consult. Then came the chapter that would carry his name furthest.

Building LAVO

A medium, low-angle shot captures the distinctive exterior entrance of TAO restaurant along a city sidewalk. The facade is constructed from rustic, weathered wood panels and heavy metal detailing, featuring a large wooden overhang with the word "TAO" mounted in bold gold lettering on both the front and side. Below the canopy, a wide stairwell painted a vibrant, glowing red leads downward, its walls studded with rows of ornamental metal door knockers. To the right of the stairs, a red rectangular sign displays the stylized gold "TAO" logo, while a glass window to the far left reveals a glimpse of a brightly lit red interior, altogether creating a dramatic and welcoming urban entrance.

In 2007, Scamardella joined TAO Group as Corporate Executive Chef and Partner. It was the beginning of something large.

He opened LAVO Italian Restaurant and TAO Beach in Las Vegas. Then LAVO in New York. Then TAO Downtown in Chelsea, and a run of concepts that stretched from the East Coast to Los Angeles.

Today he serves as Chief Culinary Officer of TAO Group Hospitality, overseeing every chef and every concept across New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and the LAVO restaurants in Singapore and Mexico City.

That’s a lot of ground for one person to hold. But the thread running through all of it is surprisingly simple — the same one from that Brooklyn kitchen. Fresh. Seasonal. Honest.

What LAVO Cooks

A high-angle, close-up shot captures an appetizing meal served on a dark wooden table in a restaurant with warm, moody lighting. On the left, a long, rustic oval flatbread pizza heavily topped with melted white cheese, mushrooms, and herbs is presented on a curved wooden serving board. To the right, a round ceramic plate holds a large ball of white burrata cheese drizzled with pesto, resting on a vibrant bed of red and yellow cherry tomatoes and fresh arugula. Silverware, drinking glasses, and a small, glowing votive candle holder are scattered around the dishes, completing the intimate dining setting.

The food at LAVO leans coastal Italian. Light, zesty, bright as Sicilian sun.

It’s grounded in tradition but carries a modern, urban edge — the flavours of coastal Italy meeting the pace of a big city. Refreshing crudos. House-made pastas. Dishes prepared with simplicity and a respect for quality produce, rather than cleverness for its own sake.

There’s an Italian-American warmth underneath it all, too. This is a chef who will tell you, without a shred of pretense, that his deep dark secret is a mayonnaise sandwich — toast the bread, spread the mayo. A man who cooks for crowds and still loves the plainest comfort.

That honesty is the point. LAVO treats dining as a social ritual. Food as a love language. Not a performance, but a table you want to stay at.

Fifty-Seven Floors Up

An eye-level, wide shot captures the elegant, Mediterranean-inspired interior of a upscale restaurant or lounge. The space features textured light-brick walls, a tiled floor with dark stone borders, and low, patterned ceilings adorned with multi-bulb gold chandeliers. On the left, a succession of large brick archways framed by heavy, draped terracotta curtains creates a corridor leading into deeper dining areas with green velvet booths. In the right foreground, an intimate seating alcove features curved reddish-brown banquettes, round marble-topped tables, and wooden accent chairs with plush white cushions, all beautifully accented by various green plants in large clay urns.

In Singapore, LAVO sits at the top of Marina Bay Sands. Tower 1, Level 57. The city glitters below like something spilled.

By day, it’s an ode to sun-kissed coastal Italy, reimagined by a city that lives in permanent summer. By night, the energy shifts. The terrace opens up, the bar hums, the views wrap around you, and a single Negroni has a way of becoming a few more.

It would be easy for a place like this to coast on the view. Many rooftops do. What keeps LAVO grounded is the cooking underneath the spectacle — the coastal Italian food, prepared the way Scamardella has always believed food should be prepared.

The height is the drama. The kitchen is the substance.

What His Food Still Remembers

A close-up, slightly high-angle shot captures a freshly baked artisanal pizza served on a white plate over a wooden table. The pizza features a thick, golden-brown, puffed crust framing a bed of vibrant green arugula leaves. Scattered generously across the greens are dollops of soft, white burrata or mozzarella cheese, which are drizzled with a dark, glossy balsamic glaze. A hint of cured meat or prosciutto is visible beneath the toppings, and the stem of a wine glass is partially seen in the upper right background.

Strip away the empire, the cities, the tower, and you find the same thing you started with.

A kid in Brooklyn. Immigrant parents. Fresh produce on a family table. A belief that dining is something people do together, not something they consume alone.

Scamardella built something enormous. But the food never forgot where it came from. It stays light. It stays seasonal. It stays a little bit like home, even fifty-seven floors above the ground.

That, more than any accolade, is what lingers.

If You Go

An eye-level, straight-on shot captures the lush, garden-like entrance to the restaurant LAVO. Thick wooden pillars and an overhead trellis support a dense canopy of green vines and hanging string lights, with a sleek white sign displaying the backlit gold text "LAVO" mounted at the center of the entryway. A decorative, patterned tiled walkway leads under the trellis toward an open-air terrace filled with potted plants and trees, where a person in a blue shirt is visible looking out toward the distance. The entrance is framed by vibrant tropical greenery, a low red brick planter box on the left, and large potted shrubs on the right, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Sit by the windows if you can, but don’t let the skyline do all the talking. Order a pasta. Start with a crudo. Let the food remind you that behind the view is a chef who learned to cook in a kitchen that had no view at all.

If you’re planning a full Marina Bay Sands food crawl beyond LAVO, Food Stories has a great roundup of top picks to bookmark.

LAVO sits at 10 Bayfront Ave, Tower 1, Level 57, Marina Bay Sands. Go hungry. Stay for the Negroni. Let the evening take its time.

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