A taste of Italy has landed in SoHo, and it comes with a side of history. 

Chef Salvo Lo Castro, who spent more than a decade cooking for the Vatican, has opened his first New York City flagship restaurant, CasaSalvo, on Spring Street. 

Lo Castro, born in Sicily “five kilometers from the mountain and five kilometers from the sea,” describes his hometown as standing at the center of the universe, a feeling he says New York shares. 

For 10 years, Lo Castro worked inside the Vatican, preparing meals for Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, presidents, celebrities and dignitaries from around the world. But he says every guest deserves the same treatment. 

“Every guest is Pope, is president, is pop star,” he said, “for me, every person is important.” 

At CasaSalvo, the chef says there are no “clients,” only guests. He welcomes visitors with warmth and a menu rooted in his Sicilian heritage. The menu includes homemade pasta, bold Mediterranean dishes and his mother’s original Sicilian meatball recipe. 

Lo Castro calls opening in New York “a very big emotion,” and says CasaSalvo is more than a restaurant, it's his home. 

“I live here 18 hours a day,” he said. “This is my home.” 

For him, it’s not just about the food, but the entire dining experience.