Garibaldi Trattoria: French technique melded with Italian ingredients

From a child helping in his mother’s kitchen to growing up working in restaurants owned by his family, chef and restaurateur Arken ElHicheri was destined to carry on the legacy of sharing his culture through his delicious and innovative cuisine.

Raised in Paris, ElHicheri is half Italian and half French, and brings a taste of both backgrounds to his kitchens at Garibaldi Trattoria. The original Garibaldi location in Fuquay-Varina celebrates its 10th year in business as his second location opens its doors in Johnston County, in the 40/42 community near Clayton this year.

Using classic French technique with traditional Italian ingredients, ElHicheri brings the best of both worlds to his dishes. “You have to know the culture in order to transmit it onto the plate,” he said. “Every food has a story.”

His cooking methods and techniques have been handed down through generations in his family, and it’s his experience working alongside them that allows him to make the ingredients shine. “This is not something you learn in school,” he said.

Elhicheri said fresh, quality ingredients are at the foundation of everything he creates. “Quality is everything. If there’s no good quality available, I’ll just take it off the menu until there is.” Equally important to the final outcome of the dish are the cooking methods used at Garibaldi Trattoria. The restaurant makes its own veal stock that takes a four day process to complete, and that stock becomes the base of all of the restaurant’s brown sauces. “Everything is made here, from the bread to the desserts,” Elhicheri said. Their own version of limoncello, a popular Italian liquor, is also made in-house and served in cocktails from the restaurant’s full bar. A carefully curated wine selection also accompanies the culinary creations.

As for his recommendations, ElHicheri said everything is good, but he is partial to the dishes with brown sauce, particularly the lamb shank. “I eat everything on my menu. I won’t put anything on the menu that I don’t eat,” he said.

ElHicheri believes in the power of food to bring people together. “If more people would sit down and have a meal together, they would realize they have more in common than they don’t,” he said. ElHicheri wants his guests to relax and savor their meals, setting the scene in his dining rooms with comfortable music and decor. “Dining doesn’t need to be rushed, take your time and enjoy,” he said.

Expanding into Johnston County with a second Garibaldi’s location allows his culinary team more kitchen space to create delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts and affords even more people the opportunity to enjoy what they come up with.