While Chirico grew up absorbing every aspect of the business firsthand, he wanted to know more and enrolled in Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., where he studied both culinary arts and restaurant management. “I knew my family’s way of doing things. School was important for gaining a global knowledge. I learned about Mediterranean, Indian and Asian cuisine. I learned how spices are used worldwide. I picked up new methods and techniques.”

The passing of the baton from father to son was a process. In 2009, Joseph Chirico expanded the business to include Enoteca on Court, located next door to Marco Polo. This casual pizzeria and wine bar put Marco in charge. “I had to prove myself,” Chirico says. “This gave me the chance. It’s a place for younger people, for those who want to eat light and quick.” Here, Chirico incorporated his contemporary ideas for outdoor dining, an open kitchen and a brick oven that not only turns out pizza, but also pastas, sausage, salmon, steak and veal meatballs. Enoteca (which means “wine repository” in Italian) boasts an extensive international wine list and has earned a Michelin recommendation. “The business has done very well,” Chirico says. “My father recognized this.”

Chirico admits that being at the helm of a new venture at 20 years old caused some worry. “I never want to fail,” he says. “I never want to let anyone down. Not the customers and not my family. From the experience, I did learn that I can do it. I also know not to worry about achievement. I focus on the cuisine and customer attention. If you do that, other things will come. My father taught me that.”

He adds that the staff and even longtime customers at Marco Polo are amused at the similarities of father and son. “I’m like him in many ways,” Chirico says. “I do things myself. You don’t want to wait around if something goes wrong. You fix it and talk about it later. You’ll see me doing everything. I’m in the kitchen; I’m filling up an empty water glass. I’m watching the details. You’ll never see me or my father standing around. I’m doing, and I’m having fun.”

Embracing the Future Without Ignoring the Past
Understanding the importance and relevance of his son’s new ideas and innovations for Enoteca on Court made Joseph Chirico more open to making décor and menu changes to the long-established Marco Polo. The redesign gives the old-school restaurant a modern look—cream-colored walls, distressed wood floors, large black-and-white photographs of Venice, additional sidewalk dining and a private party room.

During the transformation, Marco Chirico was careful to bring the family business up to date without losing its history or integrity. “We still honor our heritage by using recipes from my father’s relatives,” he says. Pastas, mozzarella cheese, sausage and gelato are all made in house. The restaurant cures, hangs and ages its own soppressata. “To stay current, I visit Italy for inspiration and bring back new products and ideas from contemporary Italian chefs,” Chirico says.

So that longtime customers would not feel disappointed with the culinary revisions, the new menu offers past signature dishes such as fresh fettucine al vino rosso tossed in a Parmesan wheel, and a rack-of-lamb entreé. 

Chirico has given some of the restaurant’s most-popular dishes a fresh presentation. For example, the housemade Calabrese sausage is now accompanied with sweet and spicy eggplant and red-pepper caponata, and the bone-in rib eye is prepared with a garlic/peppercorn/rosemary rub.

The updated menu will include Venetian cuisine, featuring fare like black seafood risotto and barbabietola, a roasted red and yellow beet salad. New dessert selections and a cocktail list that incorporates housemade syrups, fresh juices and local herbs are being introduced. The international wine list of more than 240 wines (selected by Joseph Chirico and recognized by Wine Spectator magazine) continues to complement the menu.

The transformation of the Carroll Gardens neighborhood was one of the driving forces behind the restaurant’s changes. “You have to understand your neighborhood,” Chirico says. “Our neighborhood has changed. It’s younger now. Our customers want a less-formal experience. They care about nutrition, and so our new dishes are lighter. We’ve kept the old favorites and added a modern twist. Everybody’s happy.”

Chirico also notes that the style of service has evolved. What defined professional, fine dining in 1983 is different today. “Of course, our waitstaff must have knowledge of food and wine, but the staff has more personality. There is a casual friendliness and personal interaction with the customer now.”

Perhaps the biggest change is that Joseph Chirico has more free time. “He has time to tend to our farm in upstate New York and brings back tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant, which we use in the specials,” says the younger Chirico. “After 45 years, it’s hard for my father to be less involved. He loves to be in the restaurant, and the customers come to see him. It’s like family.”

Marco Chirico knows that he must aspire to fill very big shoes. “I strive to meet our customers’ expectations,” he says. It’s an honor to bring new dishes to them. My father is proud to see both me and the restaurant grow. Still, there is never a day that I don’t learn something new from my father.”

Lynn Schwartz, a former New York City restaurateur, is a writer and writing instructor/coach (fiction and nonfiction) based in Maryland. Visit www.writerswordhouse.com.