Chef Carmine Mottola brings international flair & flavors to local menus

The globetrotting Italian chef has reimagined dishes at The Reef and The Bellevue Bar

Photos by Emilee Angell

If first impressions count for anything, then chef Carmine Mottola’s fusion of global flavors and effortless command of the kitchen reveals a passion, precision, and worldly approach to his craft.

On a chilly December evening, Mottola made his Newport debut at The Reef restaurant, warming hearts and palates as he floated throughout the dining room, visiting each table and answering diner’s questions in a thick Italian accent.

It was a night of new beginnings for both the chef and the restaurant, perched at the end of Howard Wharf. Originally built in 1963 as The Pier and renamed Vincent’s on The Pier in 2001, the waterfront hotspot became The Reef in 2019.

When the Heritage Restaurant Group purchased the restaurant in 2024, it gave the space a bonafide glow-up and tasked Mottola, its newly appointed corporate executive chef, with developing the menu. (At the company’s culinary helm, Mottola has also revitalized the menu and concept at La Forge Casino Restaurant and its reimagined Bellevue Bar, in addition to expanding Audrain Hospitality’s catering services.)

Mottola was born and raised in Naples before moving a little more than an hour northeast to Benevento at age 10. Both cities are in Italy’s Campania region, well known for its extraordinary food culture. There, he learned to make traditional Italian dishes from both his mother and grandmother, although it was his paternal grandmother who was his conduit to more international flavors.

“She was around the world because my grandfather worked in different areas. She made different kinds of dishes with an Italian touch, so I say always, I grew up with a fusion of things,” he says. The familial influences paved the path for Mottola’s pursuit of culinary school in his native Italy, where he brought a palate deeply rooted in tradition, paired with a wider culinary wanderlust.

The chef ’s hard work paid off as he rose through the ranks in kitchens far and wide. Mottola captured the international spotlight as executive chef at Il Platano, a Mediterranean and Japanese fusion restaurant at the renowned Villa d’Este hotel on the edge of Italy’s Lake Como. His resume touts roles at prestigious restaurants around the world, including the St. Regis Rome, the Armani Hotel Dubai, Nobu Hospitality (founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, actor Robert De Niro, and producer Meir Teper, with projects spanning five continents), and Jumeirah, an Emirati state-owned luxury hotel chain with properties in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa.

Honing a style he defines as “globetrotter cuisine” — with a weathered passport to prove it— Mottola continues to consult with restaurants around the world, including in Newport.

“The menu of The Reef I can be more creative with. Everything is new… I can make it fusion with a touch of the world,” he says

Mottola spent the winter in Newport, developing dishes, composing seasonal menus, and discovering area farms and local ingredients. “ … I think this part of the U.S., it’s amazing,” he says with passion.

As the temperatures warm, diners at The Reef can expect more dock-to-plate offerings, including an abundance of sashimi, oysters, and freshly caught fish, Mottola promises. Since onboarding, he’s been especially inspired by the exceptional seafood caught in local waters, explaining it’s just not like anywhere else. “For example, for us, it’s very rare to have lobster so nice like yours. The oyster, the scallops — wow, they’re amazing,” he says.

Diners can also expect seasonally-driven dishes, a variety of salads, and nods to his Italian roots, including homemade pasta and specialties like risotto— prepared with a lighter, more summer-friendly approach.

“One of the great things of my job is that I go around the world and I discover new ingredients, new techniques. I am always happy to grow my knowledge about food,” he explains.

“I like Newport a lot. It reminds me a bit of Lugano,” Mottola says. Lugano, the city in southern Switzerland known as the country’s “Little Italy,” is perched on Lake Lugano, a stunning glacial lake located between Lake Maggiore and Lake Como. It’s his family’s primary residence.

With a glitzy reputation, historic homes, and vibrant culinary scene, Lugano undoubtedly shares commonalities with the City-by-the-Sea. “Very similar, yes. And it’s nice,” says Mottola. “The quality of the life is good and it’s not so big.”

Mottola cares about catering to more than the seasonal summer visitors to The Reef. Creating community is important to him. “In the winter, I think a restaurant group like us, we need to work more for local people so they can enjoy, so they can feel that we are not working only for the tourists,” he says.

He’s also focused on creating distinct dining experiences at each Heritage Restaurant Group establishment. La Forge Casino Restaurant’s menu, for example, features what Mottola describes as “French American classics from the 1920s,” while The Reef ’s menu highlights internationally influenced cuisine inspired by the travels of sailors to ports around the world.

“We are in Newport. We need to have, like, clam chowder, but each restaurant has a different style of clam chowder. The clam chowder that you eat at The Reef is totally different from La Forge,” he explains.

Mottola says he’s very excited to make Newport his home this summer, when the city’s population swells and travelers from around the world can experience flavors both familiar and new.