Don Cheech Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Chef Behind the Name

Don Cheech is the project of Executive Chef Massimo Felici, a Milan-born cook who moved to New York at age eleven and spent the following decades building one of the more quietly impressive résumés in the city's Italian dining scene. He trained in Manhattan at establishments including Cipriani's, Giambelli, and Da Umberto, then at twenty-two traveled to Florence, where he opened his own 35-seat trattoria, Il Canapone, near the Palazzo Pitti. Within two years it was named one of the best trattorias in Florence by A Tavola magazine. Back in New York, his trattoria Ribollita drew praise from the New York Times and New York Magazine, and his Tuscan restaurant La Nonna earned an accolade from The Times' William Grimes before the events of 9/11 forced its closure.

After years as a sought-after restaurant consultant — helping shape kitchens at Nino's Tuscany and DeGrezia — Felici settled on Staten Island, where he and his wife Deya opened Vinum Restaurant, which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for five consecutive years. In 2022, he opened Don Cheech.

Tuscan Tradition on Bay Street

The menu is described as "Italian cuisine inspired by Tuscany and tradition," and that framing holds up across every section. The Vegan Ribollita — cannellini beans, savoy cabbage, Swiss chard, carrots, and rustic bread in vegetable broth — is the same peasant soup Felici would have cooked in Florence. The Calamari Inzimino, tender calamari braised with spinach, leeks, and tomatoes, is a Tuscan classic that rarely appears on New York menus. Alongside these are Roman pinsa, a dedicated meatball bar with four variations (including fontina-filled veal with white truffle), and a pasta list that runs from delicate ricotta gnudi in Vermont butter and sage to squid ink Black Linguine Pescatora in lobster broth.

Chef Massimo's Wild Game Collection

The most distinctive section of the menu is the Wild Game Collection, described as "a celebration of Tuscany's hunting traditions." Pappardelle with wild boar ragù slow-cooked in red wine and herbs, tagliatelle with lamb ragù and porcini, gnocchi in Muscovy duck ragù, and venison carpaccio with shaved black truffle and aged Pecorino Toscano are dishes that reflect both Felici's Florentine training and an ingredient sourcing philosophy that goes well beyond the standard Italian-American kitchen.

Wine, Atmosphere, and Community

The wine program — recognized with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024 — is housed in an elegant glass cellar, a visual centerpiece of the dining room. The atmosphere Felici draws inspiration from is the classic Little Italy of Mulberry Street: "exceptionally well-prepared food served in an elegant yet comfortable setting." Beyond the restaurant, he serves as President of the Rosebank Merchants Association and regularly runs pizza-making classes for local schoolchildren — a presence in the community that gives Don Cheech a rootedness that goes beyond the plate.