Dennis Turcinovic on Family Legacy, Navigating Industry Drama, and Reviving an American Culinary Landmark

As part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dennis Turcinovic.

Dennis Turcinovic, a culinary virtuoso, serves as the managing partner and owner of Delmonico’s Hospitality Group, the restaurant group behind the successful renaissance of America’s first restaurant, Delmonico’s. A distinguished and innovative force in the restaurant industry, Dennis has invested more than 20 years in Delmonico’s, playing a crucial role in solidifying its landmark reputation in the culinary realm. As part of Delmonico’s Hospitality Group, Dennis co-owns several well-established restaurants and venues including the latest opening of Delmonico’s sister restaurant, TUCCI, in the NOHO district of New York City.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restaurateur?

My family really shaped my passion for the restaurant industry. In 1976, my family migrated to the United States from Croatia and my father began working in the restaurant business. I was born two years later in 1978. While working in the 21 Club in New York City, my father met his partner, Milan. Milan was more business-centered and my father was more hospitable and focused on the food. Together they started their first restaurant, Murano on 36th Street in Midtown, becoming a NYC Italian hotspot in 1983.

By the time I was six my father had started taking me to work and soon I was with him at the restaurant every weekend, as mom pursued her career as a folk singer in the Croatian community. At one point I was working in every capacity–from washing dishes to hosting to bartending–and sometimes even getting in the way when I was bored and just wanted to be a kid. Unfortunately, there was no time for that — “just work.”

My father and Milan opened seven restaurants across New York City, most were Italian, and all were successful. It was so inspiring to a young boy’s mind.

In about 1998, my father and Milan came to me and they said, “Listen, we know you are super young, maybe you can work at Delmonico’s and shadow the General Manager.” I was 20 at the time. I used my hospitality skills from years of experience and the rest was history!

Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?

I tend to focus on food that brings people together. I grew up in a household where food was the centerpiece. Our holidays were big parties with lots of food and drinks, and breaking the physical bread brought us together as a family. Now with Delmonico’s Hospitality Group (DHG), I focus on restaurants that encourage that same family dynamic and hospitality mentality.

Delmonico’s is America’s first fine dining restaurant. There is a legacy and an honor we carry with the restaurant’s deep rooted history. The talented Delmonico brothers opened the restaurant back in 1827 and operated the establishment until its closure in 1923 due to Prohibition. Then in 1926, Oscar Tucci resurrected and re-established Delmonico’s and single-handedly saved the iconic building at 56 Beaver Street from being demolished. Oscar, along with his wife, son, daughter and brother-in-law gave new life to Delmonico’s. Their family is a big part of what Delmonico’s is today. Therefore, to honor and pay homage to the Tucci family, Delmonico’s Hospitality Group opened a new Italian restaurant in New York City called TUCCI to honor that legacy. We wanted to bring back some original Italian dishes from his father’s family in Italy. TUCCI is one of the hottest Italian restaurants in NYC!

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you became a restaurateur? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?

When I was younger and working for my father at Delmonico’s, I saw a woman come in and sit down in one of our booths. She ordered four courses and the most expensive bottle of wine we had on the menu, and she sat there alone. I remember her looking very elegant.

After she finished her meal, she approached me and asked me where she could find the ladies room. I told her. However, instead of walking to the restroom, she instead walked out of the restaurant without paying her bill.

On the table she left a note saying, “Harrison Ford will be here in about 45 minutes to pick up the check.” Needless to say, Harrison Ford never showed up.

This was the first time we got scammed in the restaurant business. That’s when you learn from your mistakes. My father would say “Everything is a school.”

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?

New York City and Delmonico’s went through some tough times–the Great Depression, the financial crisis, COVID, and of course, 9/11. Yet, Delmonico’s was always the comeback king.

When I left Delmonico’s during COVID, I had to accept it could be the last time I would see the restaurant for a little while. On the last day of service, right before I left, I went to the section of the restaurant where I would hang my coat and I wrote on a wooden hanger, “I’ll be back” like the Terminator. I knew I would come back to Delmonico’s after COVID. The odds were against me, but the universe brought my restaurant back to me. We came back after COVID with a lot of headaches, but we started the next life of Delmonico’s.

None of this was handed to me — I worked at Delmonico’s for over 20 years and when the restaurant closed due to COVID, I knew I’d be back — but this time with an even bigger opportunity. I held a management position in Delmonico’s prior to its closing, but during the pandemic, the restaurant was available to purchase and I jumped on that opportunity. It wasn’t an easy road — as soon as I went for it, I was faced with complications and adversity. It was a very complicated process with my father’s partners. My team and I were moving forward with the 2023 reopening of Delmonico’s and made it public news in January 2023. However, as soon as that news hit we were sued and threatened with lawsuits. It was a crazy process filled with a lot of “Delmonico’s drama.” The past partners had tried to claim that I was part of the original ownership of Delmonico’s, which I was not. The courts decided in my favor and we were able to move forward with the reopening and this time, I was an owner of the restaurant and started Delmonico’s Hospitality Group.

In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?

There are two types of dishes: fads and staples. The dishes we create at Delmonico’s have become staples because of the customers. We create dishes that everyone loves and come back to eat time and time again.

To make dishes that customers love, we tend to tap into fresh, local ingredients to start. For instance, when we created Baked Alaska, we made it with ingredients that were popular at the time: bananas, apricots, walnuts. Consumers went crazy — and still do — for it. It’s one of our most famous dishes.

We also like to give a new spin on a traditional dish. We recently took a dish called Chicken A La Keene and turned it into a vegan option that is one of our best sellers. With this dish, we listened to our customers and created a more health-conscious option of a classic.

Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?

My favorite meal is, and will always be, steak frites. There is something about steak, french fries and ketchup. It’s simple, but it’s my perfect meal.

Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?

I meditate and walk every day. I will usually walk six miles a day. In the restaurant business, mental clarity is huge. There is so much going on, and you need to unload your mind. It’s important to stay grounded and have a clear mind when you navigate the business of the restaurant industry. Doing these daily walks helps keep me and my mind in top shape.

It’s during these walks where I clear my head and can think creatively about business. That’s why it’s so important for me to make time to do this every day. No questions asked. No days off.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?

Delmonico’s Hospitality Group (DHG) continues to expand. I am working on a new endeavor in the food technology space with the Boogie Lab Bakery.

The most important piece of eating is when you break bread. At Delmonico’s we needed to have the best bread, so we needed to find the best artisan baker. I found these gentlemen who had just started a very popular innovative artisan bakery in Croatia. Soon after I connected them, they showed up with a suitcase of sourdough starter.

Today, we have a US wholesale division selling to the top restaurants and hotels in the US. We are also in the process of building the first Boogie factory in the US with a slew of retail storefronts.

Our goal is to make Type One sourdough and pastries accessible and affordable to all Americans, as it is the best bread. It’s not only the best looking and the best tasting, but it is healthy too.

Boogie Lab Bakery gives back with its Double Bread initiative. The goal is to make the bread from spent beer grains while saving costs on the flour and helping the planet. We can make bread, a staple food, accessible to undernourished people by connecting industries that have surpluses of byproducts with industries that can utilize them and give them new life. The Double Bread initiative donates a loaf of bread for every one sold.

Additionally, we plan to expand DHG into a more extensive hospitality group by incorporating hotels into our offerings.

What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?

I said this before and I’ll say it again because it is so important: you need to take care of your mental health. The restaurant industry is hard. It’s long hours and long days. You’ll be on your feet a lot. It takes a toll on you physically and mentally. Therefore, in order to thrive and avoid burnout you must put your mental health high on your priority list. In business, mental clarity is paramount.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restaurateur” and why?

1. Alcohol would become the quick fix anxiety medicine, suppressing your emotions from the hundreds of conversations and natural business stress you’re having throughout the week.
2. You’ll be standing on your feet for hours upon hours. I always wondered why my dad bought me hundreds of pairs of shoes throughout my life. I thought he was obsessed with shoes. He was more worried about the pain I would endure being on my feet for countless hours. Replace your shoes frequently.
3. You may work in a restaurant, but you can’t eat everything all the time. I always had some type of struggle with my weight whether I was eating unconsciously or emotionally. I have accepted the fact that someone like myself that is an expert in the hospitality industry looks good with a little meat on the bones. Unfortunately, you have to try everything. My customer always trusted me, saying “Look at him. He must know good food and wine!”
4. Make everyone feel important and have that mindset from the start. You must always anticipate the needs of the customer. You are in control whether you are the chef, the manager or the owner. This is the number one key to success. You must think binary, not linear. There is no right and wrong answer to anything that’s asked from the customer. It’s just DO!
5. Don’t become stale and set in your ways. Remember whether you are 25 or 50 years of age, as the years go on you’re not the same person and the people that are coming to your restaurant are not the same people. Don’t be the same person every five years. You must follow trends and try to understand them. Your customers are constantly changing and evolving. Delmonico’s today is a cool spot for everyone. Adjust or fail.

What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?

The Delmonico Steak at Delmonico’s and the meatballs at TUCCI.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

If I could start a movement it would be to be mindful and be present. We live in a chaotic world. It’s important to forget about the negativity around you and have a calm mind. If you are present and you know what you are doing, you’ll make the best decisions in life.

Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!