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Come See Our New Location! 443 Burns Court, Sarasota |
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BY DEBORAH SEEBER / PHOTOS BY MARK SICKLES On the road to Siesta Key lies a group of buildings that might be a Hollywood set designer’s image of a New England fishing village, with the focal point a diminutive replica of a lighthouse. In this unique structure, perched on the water’s edge, is Galileo, the culinary brainchild of Tom Harvey, an easygoing young man who left behind one of the most high powered and stressful jobs in the industry. “I would only begin to come to life sometime on Saturday, and by 4 a.m. Monday I’d be at it again,” he says of his two-year tenure, during the second Clinton administration, as executive chef at the U.S. House of Representatives. It is hard to imagine, here on Stickney Point Road glancing westward toward the descending sun, what that life “inside the Beltway” must have been like. Harvey recalls the myriad dining rooms and the 187 cooks and kitchen helpers under his direction. He also recalls cooking for Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and countless world leaders, pointing out that if the function were a large one, it would outsize the White House and be relegated to the House facilities. Of Clinton he says, perhaps ironically, “He ate really healthfully, usually fruit salads and diet Coke,” for his regular lunches with Dick Gephardt. Typically, his lineup of responsibilities would include power breakfasts, luncheons, cocktail receptions and large formal dinners hosted by elected officials and lobbyists alike. Eventually the oppressive hours, horrendous commuter traffic and a growing cynicism born of watching the business of politics got to Harvey. He headed south. With his Culinary Institute of America training and his trial
by fire in D.C. behind him, Harvey sought a kinder, gentler culinary world.
He found a venue named Portobello, secured a long-term lease and set up shop.
And in many ways he came home. Recalling a childhood in upstate New York
watching his Sicilian-born mother cook—“She wouldn’t let me help, but I
always watched”—Harvey created a little gem of an Italian restaurant, and
renamed it Galileo. The menu, based on fresh, seasonal ingredients, changes
weekly and the extensive wine list |
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The
menu features masterfully prepared classic and contemporary Italian dishes
made with the finest hand selected ingredients by award winning chef-owner
Thomas M. Harvey. A graduate of the world famous Culinary Institute of
America and former Executive Chef at The United States House of
Representatives in our nations capital. Chef Thomas and staff strive to make
you part of the family of regulars this little hidden gem enjoys. |
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