Low Key Highlight in Hillsborough
by Greg Cox, News and Observer, Spring 2007
At the bottom of the menu at panciuto, in the space where the name of the
chef/proprietor is customarily listed, you'll find the name of Aaron
Vandemark. You'll also find the names of everyone else who works at the
restaurant, from waiter to dishwasher. The democratic gesture seems
fitting in Hillsborough, a town still small enough that you get the impression
everyone knows everyone else by name. More importantly, it's a telling
clue as to the personality of the chef -- and in turn, the style of the
restaurant itself........
With his talent, he could easily have opened Panciuto, his first restaurant,
in a high-profile spot such as Glenwood South or Franklin Street. Instead,
he chose Hillsborough -- about as far from the center of the action as it
gets -- primarily because his family lives there. When he opened Panciuto
in June of last year, he did so with so little fanfare that most people still
haven't heard of it, even though it's clearly one of the most significant
additions to the Triangle dining scene in the past year.
PANCIUTO IN HILLSBOROUGH
Italian Cuisine With a Southern Kick
Excerpt from Fifteen501 Magazine article, Fall 2007 issue
Unassuming and unpretentious, Panciuto is developing a marked
reputation for its use of local ingredients and humanely raised meats in
producing Italian fare with Southern affect. Through the efforts of Chef and
Owner Aaron Vandemark and his small, dedicated staff, Panciuto
consistently strives to deliver on its promise of creating dishes with
interesting, flavorful and vibrant foods, prepared completely in-house. The
result is a concise yet well-thought-out menu consisting of the freshest
seasonal ingredients available.
Vandemark credits the quality of the food to the quality of the ingredients
he uses. “Knowing where your food comes from, who's caring for it, and
how fresh it is makes a big difference in the finished product,” he said. This
philosophy comes through in dishes like the braised rabbit ravioli with baby
carrots, lettuce greens and lavender butter, all local and delicious.
You will find the dining room refined, somewhat rustic and fully inviting,
only to be outdone by the warmth with which the waitstaff welcomes you.
The restaurant has amazing local support, and is also attracting
supporters from outlying areas as word of it spreads. “There are so many
great restaurants in Chapel Hill, Durham and beyond, that it's a real
compliment to see repeat customers from those areas choose to come
back to dine with us. It's noticeable and greatly appreciated,” Vandemark
said.
New Restaurants Capture Diners
Excerpt from Metro Magazine, By Moreton Neal
...Panciuto was the “firstborn,” opening in June to the great joy of Northern
Orange County foodlovers, many as excited as new parents. Aaron
Vandemark, the owner/chef, studied economics at Emory University before
falling in love with the cooking business under the tutelage of brilliant Chef
Gennaro Villela of Chapel Hill’s Il Palio Ristorante.
Vandemark’s Northern Italian menu is more like a private dinner party
offering a model of elegant restraint: just three first courses, four seconds
and a couple of desserts to choose from. Even so, it’s not easy to decide
among delicacies — including veal meatballs with butternut squash raviolis
with chard in sage brown butter, or braised duck ragu with parpadelle
pasta.
Despite its unpretentious atmosphere, Panciuto is the most upscale of the
three restaurants (main courses average around $25), a destination
worthy of a long drive. It offers dinner only and reservations are
recommended as Vandemark’s economical nature resists overbuying; he
has been known to close the door when food runs short. You don’t want to
get there, taste buds set for the likes of “pan seared quail with polenta with
a whiskey balsamic reduction,” then end up with a Big Mac down the
street...
Falling in Love with Hillsborough
Excerpts from www.chocvb.com, By Michael Malone
In Casablanca, "Everybody comes to Ric's." In Hillsborough, everybody
comes to Churton Street, where now, on curiously balmy winter days,
sidewalks bustle with outdoor diners under umbrellas and with shoppers
carrying parcels. Everybody comes, and more and more, they fall in love.
...Apparently, if you build it--a good bookstore (Brick Alley Books), a good
wine shop (Hillsborough Wine Company), a good coffee house (Cup-A-
Joe), good downtown restaurants (Panciutto, Saratoga Grill and Tupelo's,
among them), if you throw in a Poet's Walk and a chance to put on a play
in a church or an auction house, writers will come. And so will painters,
potters, jewelers, musicians, lawyers, bankers, organic farmers and
NASCAR fans: The first professional speedway has been preserved here
near the banks of the Eno River.
...There are sometimes arguments between those who would preserve the
past and those who would clear a path for the future. But from its
picture-perfect old courthouse to its sleek new Italian restaurant Panciuto,
whose young owner Aaron Vandemark is one of the most talented chefs in
the state, Hillsborough looks to have a past and a future both.
...Sooner or later, everybody comes to Hillsborough. It's not just about the
history. But we've got that too.
Worth a Drive
By Greg Cox, News and Observer, Winter 2006
Talk about your hidden gem. Panciuto, one of the most exciting and
ambitious new restaurants in the Triangle, has been open for six months
now at 110 S. Churton Street in Hillsborough. But unless you happen to
live or work nearby, you've probably never heard of the place....
...Vandemark, whose credentials include a culinary degree from Johnson &
Wales University and work in numerous restaurants in the Southeast
(including some of the Triangle's best), offers a dining experience that's
worth a drive, wherever you live in the Triangle. Working primarily with
locally grown produce and naturally raised meats, he skillfully showcases
the flavors of Italy and the American South, sometimes even combining
them in inspired ways...
...The setting is quietly elegant but not stuffy. Entree prices are in the $20
to $25 range -- reasonable, given that Vandemark makes virtually
everything, from pasta to pastry, from scratch. Personally, I'd drive to
Hillsborough from Cary just for his toasted Christmas panettone with
cinnamon rum ice cream.