Inside Lita, a Portuguese Fine Dining Spot Changing the Restaurant Industry — Mise En Place

In a strip mall in Aberdeen, New Jersey lives an unassuming James Beard-recognized restaurant. Inspired by his mother and grandmother's recipes, executive chef and "Top Chef" alum David Viana opened Lita, a modern Iberian restaurant serving Portuguese-leaning dishes, like rissóis de camarão, paella, and braised chicken with saffron spaghetti. On the charcoal grill, chefs fire up pork shoulder, whole fish, chicken, and more. Thanks to the restaurant's unique hybrid work model, all chefs rotate into the role of servers every week to get a chance to interact directly with customers and understand the full hospitality experience.

#chef #cooking #dinner

00:00 Intro
01:30 Making Rissóis de Camarão (Fried Shrimp Turnovers)
04:04 Making Fresh Pasta Dough
06:09 Breaking Down Branzino
07:42 Making Sofrito
10:14 Breaking Down Chickens with the Hearth-throbs
10:56 Making the House Pineapple Brine
12:19 Making the Ibérico Burger
12:58 Prepping the Paella Rice
13:53 Braising Chicken for the Saffron Spaghetti
16:12 Rolling Out the Pasta
17:18 Prepping for Service and Pre-Shift Meeting
17:39 Service Begins
17:58 Plating the Frango Assado
18:06 Plating the Paella
18:36 Making Chef David's Top Chef Redemption Dish

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Credits:
Senior Producer/Director: Connor Reid
Senior Video Director: Murilo Ferreira
Camera: Murilo Ferreira, Connor Reid, Tom Daly
Production Sound Mixer: Bill Vella
Editor: Josh Dion
Assistant Editor: Christine Ring

Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Head of Production: Stefania Orrù
Director of Production: Michelle Fox
Post-Production Supervisor: Lucy Morales Carlisle
Audience Engagement: Frances Dumlao
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