in the news
Tutoni's menu of creative dishes and new spins on traditional Italian standards offers customers a dining experience they can’t find anywhere else. We’re "taking it back to the old country" by providing authentic Italian flavors. We take pride in working with local farms and farmers: each seasonal menu emphasizes the best of the region’s abundant agricultural scene. At Tutoni's, seasonal makes sense and people are priority.
In The News
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Redfin consults Sommelier Taylor and the TT Bar wine crew for their expert tips
If you love drinking wine, there’s no doubt you have a few empty bottles laying around your home. Instead of letting them collect dust, transform them into a statement piece that any wine enthusiast will love. Redfin consulted wine experts like us to share our best tips on how you can showcase your bottles and create unique wine decor perfect for your home. Plus, some insights on how to protect and store your unopened bottles safely. Whether you live in a cozy New York City apartment or a ranch-style house in Nashville, Tennessee, you’re sure to find a decor idea that fits your aesthetic.
York mourns the passing of Tutoni's bartender James Gibble from lung cancer
Local resident and celebrated Tutoni's bartender James Gibble, 50, passed away on Monday, Sept. 30 following a nearly year-long fight against lung cancer.
"In many ways, he decided what York drank. The bartender to York. The friend to York," said Mayor Michael Helfrich.
Helfrich had known Gibble for nearly 30 years and recalled several chipper conversations with him over politics at First Capital Dispensing Co. — Gibble's favorite haunt in York.
Conversations as such were what made Gibble a hometown celebrity in many ways. Anyone who knew Gibble understood that his wealth of knowledge behind the bar was unrivaled in the City of York. He was a journeyman in the traditional sense of the word working, however, at each of his stops he left a growing impact on the restaurant scene.
And it wasn't always due to his expertise in cocktails or wine that connected him with so many, but rather his compassion. In June, this reporter sat with Gibble during one of his chemo and immunotherapy treatment sessions.
Throughout the session, Gibble was more concerned about the reporter's comfort level than his own. Throughout the interview, he remained humbled, focused solely on one thing — getting back to doing what he loved best, serving and mixing up drinks for the residents of York.
His employer Tutoni's helped create a GoFundMe to help pay for his treatments and allocated a stipend for him during his absence. In December 2018, the downtown community put on a support night for him at the King George Club and a benefit concert at the Strand Theatre for him in February 2019.
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York City's Tutoni's reinvents brunch cocktails in Saturday class
“York County residents and adventurous explorers from across central Pennsylvania gathered in the upstairs bar of Tutoni's Restaurant, illuminated by hanging Mason jar lights, to learn how to make cocktails on Saturday.
For three years — ever since Tutoni's got its liquor license — the restaurant has been catering to patrons looking to expand their knowledge of the craft.
Jacob Dopp, regional manager of O.N.E. Hospitality Group, which owns a number of restaurants and food-related ventures downtown in addition to Tutoni's — its first project — taught the class using his own special recipes.
The 13 participants on Saturday, Nov. 9, included some first-timers and some returning fans of Tutoni's classes, both locals and out-of-towners from as far as Lancaster and Reading.
Regional General Manager Jacob Dopp, of O.N.E. Hospitality Group, teaches the art of building craft cocktails during a class at Tutoni's Restaurant in York City, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Dawn J. Sagert photo (Photo: The York Dispatch)
Brunch: Dopp said he picks a theme for each class he teaches, and this time it was brunch cocktails.
He pulled out five containers with ingredients for two different Bloody Mary mixes — a classic red and a Verde Bloody Maria made from tomatillos.
His spice mixture featured toasted seeds, which create a different flavor profile than plants, he said. The ingredient was ground roughly with a mortar and pestle to leave a little bit of texture and mixed with dried spices and herbs.
"It's absolutely fantastic on instant ramen — just as a fun fact," Dopp said.
In the class, he explained not only how to make the cocktails but more about their ingredients. Tomatillos, for example, are a little more tart this time of year, he said, so it's important to capture the sugary liquid they ooze when roasted to offset that acidity.
After everyone did the taste test, the verdict was good — with one or two who didn't even like Bloody Marys leaving pleasantly surprised.
"I would drink that for sure," said Scott Lussier, who came with his wife, Donna, from Lancaster to take the class with their friends John and Ellen Bowman, from Manchester Township.
Ellen Bowman noted that the verde cocktail was spicy but not too overwhelming, and Dopp agreed, adding, "It fills your entire palette instead of burning your face off!"
Off-book: Dopp warned that he tends to go off-book during his lessons, sharing tidbits and tricks of the trade.
He did that when talking about the bell pepper-infused Ocean vodka used for the drinks, which was distilled from sugar cane in Hawaii. Blended with mineral water drawn from 2,000 feet under the ocean floor, it tastes like vodka but has the heartier texture of gin. The process leaves a lot of potassium and calcium in vodka, which accentuates and brings out different flavors, he explained.
He also shared about its infusion process — a new technique the restaurant is trying — that brings down the infusion time from 48 hours to three.
"But ... back to the Bloody Marys!" he joked.
The group also learned how to make a mimosa, French 75, caipirinha, bacon old fashioned, ginger/cucumber smash and a ginger cordial in the two-hour class.
The next cocktail class will be in about two months, Dopp said, adding the restaurant also offers wine and pasta classes.”
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Culinary heavyweights put their talents to the test for Super Chef competition
“Hundreds of people packed the Hershey Lodge Thursday night to enjoy some delicious cuisine and support Four Diamonds.
Our Tom Russell was the emcee for the 9th annual PA Super Chef super... and yes, he found plenty of time to eat.
Local fine and casual dining restuarants competed head-to-head for the title of Super Chef.
Abeer and Tania Srouji with Events by Eye Candy put on the event every year.
"We have some of the best restaurants in the area, with their creative culinary delights" said event coordinator Tania Srouji. "I wish this was 'smell-o-vision' because you could really smell some of the amazing dishes that they're serving of tonight."
This year's Super Chef winner is Hotel Hershey.
Tutoni's in York took home the people's choice prize.”
In the Kitchen: Making lamb ravioli from scratch at Tutoni's in downtown York
In the Kitchen series visit Tutoni's in downtown York as we learn how to make fresh lamb shoulder ravioli and spaghetti pomodoro from scratch. View full video here: YDR "In the Kitchen" Video with Tutoni’s
It was 2:30 in the morning. He'd been bed-ridden by a bout of pneumonia that forced him into a dreaded hospital visit. After hours of blood tests, CT scans and MRIs, the doctors landed a haymaker on his psyche.
They had discovered a 2-centimeter tumor in the 50-year-old man's chest, dangerously close to a lymph node.
"I told them I had to go home and do my wine and alcohol order," Tutoni's bartender James Gibble said when told he had Stage 1 lung cancer.
But Gibble would spend an entire week in the hospital, undergoing more tests before breaking the news to family and friends via Facebook.
"I felt like I needed to let people know I was OK," he said.
Gibble admits he doesn't like to complain and is not a very public person. On Tuesday, two days after his release from the hospital, Gibble sat in the middle of Tutoni's dining room and shared his story. After each question, his eyes glanced downward, his newsboy cap dipping just a little lower. He was slow to answer, uncertain of how to deal with this freight train bearing down on him; of how to properly share the weight of life-changing news and a potential life-changing response.
Live television isn’t easy – ask anyone who’s ever even attempted a Facebook Live, or just tried recording themselves – things can get awkward in a hurry.
That happened recently in a central Pennsylvania news segment, and, what's worse, that segment is getting national attention.
It starts with Fox 43’s Matt Maisel beginning to introduce reporter Chris Garrett, who was “wining and dining” at Tutoni’s in York during Restaurant Week.
Maisel then asks Garrett, “I got to ask you, are you a white guy or a red guy” – referring to his wine preference.
Garrett, a black man, hesitates for a moment, shakes it off and says that he is a “white guy” as Tutoni’s co-owner Toni Calderone begins to laugh.
Then, Garrett doubles down, saying he “likes reds too, so I guess you can say I go both ways.”
The vision of York’s nightlife scene can be (fairly or unfairly) stereotyped as a laid-back craft brewery or a local watering hole, but in the few months since it opened, the King George Club has bucked that trend.
“We blew that stigma out of the water,” King George co-owner Toni Calderone said.
Calderone opened the King George — a chic, 30-seat speakeasy with Prohibition-era decor — in the basement of Tutoni’s Restaurant in York in November. Although the club has been exposed to the public since doors opened, the establishment has been selling memberships before it transitions to a members-only club starting March 1.
When the club’s opening was announced, it was met with some excitement, but also some negative feedback suggesting the club wouldn’t work in York’s nightlife scene. Comments on the York Daily Record’s Facebook page included “don’t know if that is a good idea” and “set sail to fail.”
Tutoni's in York to Open Self-Serve Wine Bar
Tutoni's Restaurant prepares for York Restaurant Week. Bonnie Arbittier photo (Bonnie Arbittier)
Wine glasses are set at tables at Tutoni's in York Tuesday, June 9, 2015. Tutoni's is currently a BYOB establishment, however legislation is heading to the state house that would lower the ratio of food to liquor from 70/30 percent to 50/50 percent for a special, cheaper liquor license. Kate Penn — Daily Record/Sunday News (Kate Penn — Daily Record/Sunday News)
About 200 people gather in the middle of Beaver Street in York for the Farm to City Street Dinner featuring food freshly harvested from local farms, Sunday October 4, 2015. John A. Pavoncello - jpavoncello@yorkdispatch.com
The fruit and cheese board appetizer at Tutoni's
Tutoni's executive chef Scott Robinson rides in the back of a truck to see the pigs he buys for the restaurant at Rettland Farm in Adams County. Even when working at other restaurants, Robinson brought Ramsburg's meat along for the ride, and it's now served in Baltimore restaurants thanks to their connections.
Kellie Wivell, Kelly Stahlman, Mindy Ott, Laci Wildasin, Kara Olewiler and Jessica Daniels begin eating their meal at Tutoni's Restaurant as server Sarah Grim sets down a fresh plate. Tutoni's Restaurant, which serves Mediterranean-inspired food made with locally sourced ingredients, operates on a seasonal menu. (Chris Dunn — FlipSide)
Toni and Tony Calderone, left, with their executive chef Scott Robinson inside the former Colosseo building in the 100 block of North George Street. The group plans to open Tutoni's in the space in April. They are demolishing the first-floor bar to make more space for dining. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS -- Paul Kuehnel)