Nino Trotta runs Forcella in the North End.Handout
Nino Trotta moved with his family to the North End as a 17-year-old to join his father, an East Coast clothier. Newly 50, he still lives and works there. Trotta runs Forcella, which recently added a cozy wine bar (even though Trotta doesn’t drink much wine). He runs the space with his girlfriend, Shannon MacGowan; when he’s not working, he enjoys Scotch, lots of espresso, and pizza.
What brought you to the United States from Naples?
My father had two high-end clothing stores, I Due Mondi: one in Boston, one in New York. He sold leather goods, suits, shirts, and accessories. I was living in Italy with my mom. We decided to join my father because I was traveling back and forth, and my mom didn’t really want to be alone. So we all moved to the North End. It was kind of a cultural shock. I didn’t speak English.
How has the neighborhood changed since you arrived in the late ‘80s?
I think was a 360-degree turn from being a mainly ethnic Italian neighborhood. Now, I call it ‘Disneyland for adults.’ The restaurants, bars, pastry shops, coffee shops: It’s a playground for adults. When I moved here, there weren’t so many restaurants and probably just two or three coffee shops. Now, it’s coffee shop, pastry shop, restaurant. And I love it. I think it’s one of the best neighborhoods in the world.
How did you break into the hospitality business?
At the beginning, I started working for the Lyons Group in the mid-’90s. I actually started my hospitality career in the nightclub business. I worked for Avalon, doing p.r. and promotions for them. Then I got into management. I was hired by Frank DePasquale, a big restaurant owner in Boston, to work at Bricco in the early 2000s. I needed a break from nightclubs. They’re a different animal from restaurants, obviously.
What was it like working in a nightclub back then?
Oh, it was fantastic. There was a dress code at the door. Every man had to wear a jacket or a blazer. It was much more — I don’t want to say civilized. I don’t want to use that word. Maybe the word is ‘old-school.’
What was it like to switch to restaurants?
I was dealing with people who didn’t get intoxicated! It was fine dining. At nightclubs, people bought champagne, shots, there was dancing. Obviously, you can’t really dance at a restaurant. No loud music, no security, no arguments with customers as far as fights and stuff. I had much more peace of mind.
What made you want to open your own restaurant? You always hear how risky it is.
I decided to do it because the location is amazing. The space was kind of small, and it was good timing until COVID.
During COVID, obviously, we were ordered to close. We tried to do some type of takeout. I didn’t want to put my employees or customers at risk. We didn’t know what COVID was, really, but everybody was getting sick, looking at the news. We were lucky that, prior to COVID, we had applied for a private patio. This was before outdoor dining was even a thing. We still have a beautiful courtyard in the back of the restaurant.
There’s a lot of controversy about outdoor dining in the North End.
The North End is a very busy neighborhood with a lot of restaurants. Some of the neighbors got upset because they couldn’t walk on the sidewalk. There’s a lot of traffic, but there’s a lot of traffic anyway. It’s chaos every day. I think the neighbors were blaming it on the restaurants a little bit. We’ll see if it will come back; I don’t know.
Then you opened a wine bar this past summer. How was that?
We opened a wine bar in July. It’s great; it helps us logistically so we can serve better and add more wines and cocktails. People love it. It became a neighborhood jewel; we have people who come pretty much every night, and different age groups.
What type of wine do you drink if you’re just hanging out with friends?
I like Cabernet. That’s my wine. But I don’t really drink wine.
You have a wine bar but you don’t drink wine!
I know; I know. My brother is my partner and is a wine maestro; he’s certified. He’s the one who’s all about the wine.
Why restaurants? Is it the food? Is it the people? What about this business do you enjoy?
I love the people, and I love the fact that people love our food. It makes me feel good about myself. You’re dealing with delicious things on a daily basis. It can be a glass of wine or a new recipe. It’s fun. I don’t know how to explain it. But you’re eating great food and you’re tasting great wines every single day. Not that I taste wines every single day. But I do taste food every single day!
What’s your earliest food memory?
To be honest with you? When I was little, I always wanted to be an architect. It didn’t come through because I took a different path. When I was young, I was in the nightclub business, and I really loved that when I was young. You’re surrounded by great people and great music, and it’s fun. And it remained with me. It’s when I realized that I wanted to work in the service business, the hospitality business, because it’s something that I do very well and something I really enjoy.
What’s the secret to being in the hospitality business? What qualities do you have to possess?
You have to be patient, number one. Number two, you have to really have a taste for good food. But mainly, I think you have to be humble. Anybody can open up a restaurant tomorrow, and it’s like, ‘Oh, my food is the best food in the world!’ It doesn’t work like that. You have to know what the current trends are and apply those elements. Sometimes, they go against your personal taste. I don’t know if humble is the word, but you have to be able to accommodate what the market wants and put your ego aside. If you want to be successful in this business, you really have to pay attention to what the market trends are and what people want.
What do people want, in Boston?
I think mainly it’s great service and great food.
How do you define great food? I’m sure every restaurant wants to make great food. But how do you do it?
Simplicity. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Our recipes are very, very simple. We don’t use many ingredients. Nothing too crazy.
What do you wish were better about the Boston food scene?
Maybe less chains coming to Boston. I don’t mean Burger King or McDonald’s. I mean national chains.
What do you wish could change in your own neighborhood?
To be honest, I wouldn’t change anything. I love the fact when I leave my house in the morning, I’ve gone to the same coffee shop for the past 20 years, and I see the same people every single day. Everybody knows everybody.
Where do you go for coffee? What’s your favorite hangout?
Well, I’m a heavy coffee drinker — about seven to eight espressos a day. I pretty much hit all of them. My main ones are Caffe Paradiso and Caffe Dello Sport.
Where do you hang out when you’re not working?
Usually we go to Lucca in the North End, or Bricco. I rarely leave the neighborhood.
What’s your favorite guilty pleasure food?
Oh, my God. Neapolitan-style Margherita pizza. Very simple.
Who makes the best pizza?
Right now, the best pizza in Boston is at Quattro. The pizza-maker is from Naples. He makes his own dough. It’s authentic. I also love Regina’s. Anything with dough and tomato sauce, I’m going to eat it.
What did you do for your 50th birthday?
We actually had a party a week after my birthday last Saturday at the restaurant. I had about 150 people, and it was great.
What was your best birthday present?
There are some gifts I haven’t opened, but I got a lot of Scotch! I like Scotch.
