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Zuppa al Cioccolato:A Childhood Memory Inspires One of the Best Desserts in Atlanta

By Patricia D. Sherman

Zuppa al Cioccolato, (that’s chocolate soup, if you need to brush up on your Italian) was created by Riccardo Ullio, Chef and Owner of Atlanta’s Sotto Sotto and Fritti restaurants. Despite its modest name and simple ingredients, it is widely considered one of the best desserts in the city, called “chicken soup for the soul” by enchanted chocophiles. 

The concept for the dessert is based in his first chocolate experiences as a child growing up in Milan, Italy, says Ullio. “One of my earliest memories of childhood was going to get a cioccolata in tazza, or chocolate in a cup, during cold winter days. It was a thick, rich cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. When we opened Sotto Sotto, I wanted to put this cioccolata in tazza on the dessert menu. Claudio, an Italian pastry chef working for me at the time, suggested we add sweet croutons and turn it into chocolate soup. I then modified it one more time, adding hazelnuts and making a hazelnut flavored whipped cream, and thus the chocolate soup was born. I feel chocolate should be used in its purest form, the less sugar the better.” (Recipe.)

Ullio moved to Atlanta when he was 12 years old. While earning a masters degree in environmental engineering from Georgia Tech University, he worked in the restaurant industry. After graduating, he continued to pursue his passion for Italian food and wine by working in restaurants around the city. His was founding chef and partner at Pasta de Pulcinella. Over the next five years, he went on to work in the kitchens of various high-profile Italian restaurants, including Coco Pazzo and Pricci. He also traveled throughout Italy to study regional Italian cuisine. He opened his first restaurant, Sotto Sotto, in 1999, followed by its sister restaurant Fritti a year and a half later.

Ullio says he believes in preparing the highest quality ingredients in the simplest way. Sotto Sotto serves no-fuss, authentic and un-garnished Italian dishes in a chic environment, true to the chef’s roots. Fritti features 22 authentic Neapolitan pizzas baked in an open wood-burning oven, a selection of roasted meats and fish, and an array of antipastos and salads.

Visit www.sottosottorestaurant.com or www.frittirestaurant.com

This story first appeared on www.chocolateatlas.com

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