If you’re looking for authentic Italian cooking, The Fat Tomato in West Berlin should be your next stop. Started in 2006, this family-owned business focuses on Italian cuisine while also offering organic sales and New York City-style pizza.
“My father found out he had cancer and decided to retire early,” owner Eric Adili says. “When he stepped down, I had to take care of the family business.”
Adili, who always liked to cook, started out as sous chef at the age of 12. “Throughout the years my father always told me that if I were ever going to run a successful place of my own one day, I had to learn how to do every job in the place. While he didn't like performing certain jobs, it gave him insight into how hard his employees work.”
Nino is the main chef at The Fat Tomato. “He is quite honestly one of the best chefs I have encountered,” says Adili. “When creating dishes, we more often think of the flavor profile we are trying to achieve and then work our way to the ingredients to make it happen.”
The Fat Tomato prides itself on offering a menu full of dishes that are both authentic and unique. “Part of me wants to offer the Italian classics, which we do, but part of me also likes offering dishes you cannot find anywhere else,” Adili explains.
The future is bright for The Fat Tomato. They survived the pandemic by rolling out Gourmet Gains, which Adili describes as both a great idea and “a passion project of mine” inspired by the pandemic’s rise in healthy eating habits.
“It is a gluten-free meal prep service run out of the restaurant's kitchen on Sundays,” he says. “During COVID-19, it was obvious to me that many people were more health-conscious than ever before. It started as just a photo I posted on our Instagram page, but then people showed a lot of interest so it just kind of took off.
“My next goal is to open a ghost kitchen next,” Adili continues. “I believe that will be the future of restaurants, especially for the next generation of diners.”
The Fat Tomato
175 Rt. 73, West Berlin
(856) 768-8811
FatTomatoBistro.com
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 1.
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