Hot Chef: Kevin D’Egidio fights the snow for Stateside

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Last week, while the city was getting pounded with snow, we spoke chef Kevin D’Egidio. At the time he was in the Italian Market, grabbing ingredients (because a delivery truck couldn’t make it) for a last-minute snow day menu at Stateside. D’Egidio’s resume includes Lacroix, Will BYOB, Tangerine, and The Pass in New Jersey. Now he can be found in the kitchen at Stateside, preparing for East Passyunk Restaurant Week, which begins this Sunday.

How are things at Stateside? You’ve been there officially since December, right?
I was helping out in the spring, and I was at Will [BYOB] for a while. I was helping out friends – working over at Rittenhouse Tavern with Nick [Elmi, most recent “Top Chef” winner], and I’d work at Ela to help Jason [Chichonski]. Then Elijah [Milligan] started at Stateside and needed some help. So nights that I wasn’t working in Jersey, I’d help, and go back and forth between the two.

Now that I’m doing just Stateside, things have calmed down a little. I’m lucky to have two friends working with me. We’re all starting to get in the groove and work harmoniously. It’s nice knowing that on my day off they got it, and my stress level goes down.

You guys are going to participate in East Passyunk Restaurant Week. Do you like Restaurant Week?
Actually, I do. Maybe in the past I didn’t like it so much because I didn’t have much say in the menus, but this one is fun. Any time you can change the menu up it’s good, and it always makes you work a little harder. This is one last chance to use winter veggies. When it ends, we’re just looking forward to spring.

How do you feel about this Open in PHL hashtag on Twitter? Should restaurants and bars stay open when it’s snowing like crazy?
It’s hard to say. You see it from two perspectives sometimes. I live in Fishtown, and most people who work up there tend to live in that vicinity. It’s harder when you have restaurants where people are coming from all over to get to work. Maybe it’s not the safest, but it depends on what each bar is like. If you’ve got people in the area who want to work, then do it.

If you didn’t have to work, where would we find you?
I like to go to Loco Pez and Memphis Taproom. I go there to hang out if it’s snowing and I’m off.