Chef who cooked for two popes opens Italian restaurant in NYC

Alvo Lo Castro, a world-renowned chef who once served Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, is reportedly blessing New Yorkers with his new Italian restaurant in downtown Manhattan.

The 52-year-old chef has been more than a bit busy since opening his first full-service restaurant a month ago. His menu features personal touches, including his mother’s meatball recipe and signature fettuccine dishes.

“The name is a very big deal for my guests. Casasalvo, this is my house, and every day I live here 18 hours a day,” Lo Castro told PIX11.

During his time at the Vatican, Lo Castro prepared daily meals for about two dozen people, including the pontiffs, each with their own specific preferences.

At the same time, Lo Castro has also whipped up meals for world leaders including Muammar Gaddafi and the Saudi royal family and celebrities the likes of Tom Cruise and Robert De Niro.

Regardless of whether you’re a world leader or an Oscar winner, though, anyone who pulls up a seat at his table is treated like royalty, he told the New York Post.

“Every man I cook for is a king, and every woman I cook for is a queen,” he said.

In addition to Casasalvo, Lo Castro manages three Manhattan espresso bars, often beginning his day around 5 a.m. whipping around the city on his Vespa.

His Upper West Side location alone serves 1,500 customers daily, he calculated.

“New York is the capital of the world,” he said. “It makes me want to work every day seriously for my guests, company and city.”