AROMI HAS ARRIVED!
ITALIAN CUISINE IN SUMMERLIN, LAS VEGAS
By Elaine & Scott Harris
Aromi is cooking up aromatic and flavorful Italian cuisine in Summerlin, Las Vegas. Local chefs Alessandro Stoppa [Chef Alex] and Chef German Castellanos spent years creating exquisite cuisine at former Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. In 2016 they formed the catering company Vanilla and Pepper. Presently Chef Stoppa and fellow chef Castellanos have made a bodacious move into the suburbs with the establishment of Aromi within the former Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen.
Discipline and hard work honed the skills Chef Alex brought to Aromi, integrated with his love for making others happy through food. Commencing with his teacher in Culinary School, Fautinato Maurizio, afforded Stoppa the proficiency to move forward within his career even during this most unprecedented time in current history. Chef German began his career as a humble dishwasher, and as he observed the chefs, he aspired to learn more. He worked alongside James Beard award-winning Chef Luciano Pellegrini, who gave him the opportunity to come in early each day to learn new things. That allowed him to continue to be promoted within the kitchen and develop his impeccable skills through dedicated mentoring and his willingness to persevere and learn. Motivation and passion coupled with years of laborious work ethics, Stoppa and Castellanos are ready to move forward after a weary year of watching many of their colleagues struggle to survive.
“It has been our dream for many years, Chef German Castellanos and mine, to open our own Authentic Italian Restaurant, and now seemed like a perfect time. People are excited to get back out there, try local restaurants, and be social again. We have had a wonderful response so far with little to no advertising. I know it seems crazy to open a new restaurant right now, but it is wonderful to see people get excited about our food. We start with fresh ingredients and cook from scratch with a lot of love. We enjoy mingling among guests and creating relationships that feel like family – food seems to be everyone’s love language,” said Stoppa.
Stoppa crafts his menu around the seasonality of ingredients and what is pleasing to the diner’s palate. Observing diners enjoying his carefully thought-out dishes as they connect with the tastes, textures, and flavors brings him continued inspiration to strive for excellence with each creation.
As a life-long culinary learner, Castellanos utilizes a myriad of worldwide ingredients, affording him the ability to get creative with his dishes.
The menu features brilliant dishes such as savory thin-sliced Beef Carpaccio, decadent thin veal chop Milanese with arugula, parmigiana, and baby heirloom tomatoes, or indulgent lobster ravioli with arrabbiata sauce and lobster tail. A classic dolce dessert of tiramisu or the creamy, no-bake cheesecake will put a fabulous finish to your dining experience. The Italian wine bar is soon to open, allowing patrons to pair the perfect vino with each dish. The restaurant offers a private party area to host your social event or special occasion. For more information, go to aromilv.com
