Dining
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano oers seasonal dessert options including the strawberry shortcake ($14) .
JOVANNA AGUILARCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano serves traditional Italian cuisine such as tomato basil pasta ($15) .
COURTESY DOLCE NIENTE RISTORANTE ITALIANO
The 12-inch margherita pizza ($16.50) includes Pomodoro sauce, fresh mozzarella, pecorino, basil and extra virgin olive oil.
JOVANNA AGUILARCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Dolce Niente serves traditional Italian dishes
After working as executive chef for Disney Springs Orlando for 20 years, Bob Getchell moved to Houston to share his culinary skills with his rst restaurant, Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano. With an aim to oer traditional Italian cuisine, the restaurant honors traditional cooking methods to replicate authentic dishes, the owners said. Getchell opened Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano with Mac Delaup in August 2023. The partnership between the two began during a Hurricane Harvey relief eort where the two partnered to cook and serve over 60,000 meals to Houstonians in need at the NRG Center in 2017. “It was the bond that we made when we did that event that led us to open a restaurant in Houston together,” Delaup said. Meet the chef Getchell started his career as a nuclear power engineer for the U.S. Navy and decided to pivot into his passion for cooking after seven years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business and an associates degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University, which led him to accomplish his dream of becoming a chef for Disney Springs in Orlando. Getchell said although he is not Italian, he decided to open an Italian restaurant due his exten- sive research in Italian cuisine and time learning how to cook Italian food “the right way” while working for Disney.
What’s in a name The name Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano was inspired by the Italian phrase “dolce far niente” which translates to “the sweetness of doing nothing.” “It means the sweetness of doing nothing and letting us wait on you,” Delaup said. Getchell and Delaup said they strive to incorpo- rate their core values to support the name of the restaurant, including quality, hospitality, value, family and integrity. Delaup said Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano ensures quality Italian food by focusing on the consistency of the quality of every dish and “great hospitality” with a knowledgeable sta. On the menu Getchell and Delaup said their commitment to authenticity starts with Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano’s kitchen, where everything from the restaurant’s bread to its pasta is made from scratch. The pizza is made through a three-day fermenta- tion process using sauce recipe from Naples. “We sell a lot of pizzas, hundreds of 12-inch Neapolitan pizzas, and if it’s not a 12-inch pizza, it’s not a Neapolitan pizza,” Delaup said. Dessert options include cannolis, tiramisu and New York-style cheesecake as well as a seasonal dessert specialty such as the strawberry shortcake.
The dolce board ($19) includes marinated olives, herb vinaigrette and Calabrian chiles.
COURTESY DOLCE NIENTE RISTORANTE ITALIANO
Popular dishes Margherita pizza The pizza is made from a Naples, Italy recipe including a fermentation process and: • Imported San Marzano tomatoes • Extra virgin olive oil • Fresh basil Fettuccine alfredo The dish has three main ingedients: • Salted butter • Fettuccine noodles made in-house • 24-month aged parmigiano reggiano
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RAYFORD RD.
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3784 Rayford Road, Ste. 600, Spring www.dolceniente.com
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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