Emily Dorio
Dark, seductive, and tucked in a quiet corner of The Gulch, there’s a charming intimacy to St. Vito Focacceria, Chef Michael Hanna’s recently launched restaurant.
It embodies the chef ’s ebullient personality, his Sicilian heritage, his commitment to cooking seasonally, and fostering community. Step inside. You’ll find cozy seating at banquettes, as well as tables and chairs lining the left of the dining room, all in full view of the open kitchen. Slide onto a stool at the chef ’s counter for a close-up. You’ll see a baker’s rack laden with Hanna’s signature focaccia breads, most destined to become sfincione—marvelous light, spongy pizza squares beloved in Sicily and Palermo. At the worktables, you can see Hanna and his team ladle lemon-scented cream sauce over the Potato sfincione; assemble sandwiches layered with coal- roasted tri-tip and salsa verde, and slice a sampler of heirloom tomatoes, each dusted with fennel pollen and fresh herbs. In lieu of a bar, by the front door is a reception where the staff concocts cocktails (consider a caper-infused gin martini) and housemade sodas (Herbs-and-Berries is as pretty as it is refreshing), and where folks can collect their to-go orders.
Kayla Cook
During a recent lunch service, we became entranced by the St. Vito comings-and-goings, and the camaraderie. Samantha Lamb of The Farm and Fiddle arrived bearing a box of cantaloupes. Hanna cut into one, marveled at its flavor, and shared slices with guests at the counter. It’s a variety of Tuscan melon at peak juicy ripeness, the kind you can relish all the way to the rind. An assistant brought in a sack of Jimmy Nardellos, the deep red Italian peppers prized for their complex sweetness. In the back of the kitchen, another of his cooks braised octopus in preparation for a collaborative dinner Hanna was hosting with Chef Colby Rasavong of Bad Idea.
“Whether at lunch or dinner, the sfincione will always remain the centerpiece, the constant. It’s what defined St. Vito,” says Hanna. “Our dinner menu has [also] become very seafood forward. Mackerel. Swordfish. Crab. We are, after all, all about Sicily.”
He changes the menu daily, based on product availability. Throughout the summer months, you can expect those gorgeous tomatoes. “I like to offer a slice each of three different heirlooms,” he notes. A lima bean salad punched up with an assertive lemon-red wine vinaigrette, shavings of garlic incorporates diced cucumber for added crunch. “I’m getting such good baby limas from Hancock Family Farm in Springfield,” he says with a grin. Hanna laments that a sizable portion of this year’s peach crop got damaged by freezes, but he’s discovered the overlooked goodness of nectarines to take their place.
Kayla Cook
In the far corner of the kitchen, you might notice a huge stand mixer, the workhorse used to make his sandwich breads and the focaccia that launched his pop-up success prior to opening. For the latter, Hanna laces the high-hydration dough with bits of fontina, which melts out in the bake, adding a delectable element to his sfincione. No matter what you order, you’ll always want to add a square of his Sicilian pie to share. The Classic Vito (milled tomato, pecorino, oregano, and toasted breadcrumbs) is ever the crowd-pleaser, and the Potato, quite simply, is a revelation. His sandwiches are creative—try the Gabagool, the bread spread with lemon aioli and filled with hot capicola ham, pickled onion, and shredded iceberg. Other noteworthy bites are his mortadella sparked with smoked mozzarella and pickled artichoke, and his not-to-miss version of the beloved B.L.T.
It’s no wonder Hanna’s baking prowess is catching on throughout the restaurant community. The Poli brothers are using his focaccia at their newly opened Italian joint Iggy’s and once Hanna can ramp up his baking schedule, Julia Jaksic of Café Roze and Roze Pony is poised to order 80 loaves a week.
From pop-ups to bricks-and-mortar, it’s been quite the journey for Hanna, indeed, a pandemic success story. He’s come a long way from those uncertain days of baking and selling out his home, and sees it all through the lens of learning, with gratitude. He looks forward to establishing St. Vito Focacceria as a neighborhood mainstay, as The Gulch continues to build upward. (605 Mansion St., stvitosnashville.com)