Arrivederci Lucio

Lucio Tonizzo lived a flavorful life surrounded by his cherished family preparing from-scratch Italian cuisine from the heart.

Chef at Lucio Restaurant on Main Street, Tonizzo, of Precenicco, Italy, died Jan. 12 at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg after suffering a sudden inter-cranial hemorrhage. He was 67.

“Lucio was not only a great chef, but a great human being,” said Culpeper County Administrator Frank Bossio, who would frequently stop by the restaurant kitchen to talk with Lucio, who spent most of his time out of the spotlight when at work. “He loved people. He communicated his love of people through the meals he prepared – he did it with such tender loving care. That is what made the restaurant great.”

Tonizzo’s true heart was his daughters, Palmira and Flavia, and wife of 44 years, Cathy. His daughters have worked side by side with Lucio for more than 25 years.

“His dream was always to have a small house and make a cozy restaurant where people could eat like at a good friend’s house, comfortable, with reasonable prices, tasty food and good drinks,” said his daughter Flavia of opening Lucio in Culpeper more than seven years ago in the century-old Victorian home downtown. “That is what makes Lucio so successful.”

Known for his delectably light sauces and homemade pasta, Tonizzo got his start in the culinary trade when he was sent to Rome at age 10 to learn the trade.

“The secret to a good sauce is a simple sauce,” Lucio told the Star-Exponent in 2004. “You’ve got to make it the same all the time, but sometimes the ingredients aren’t the same: different tomatoes, lacking sugar. So you have to taste and taste and taste over and over again. You build through the years, your taste.”

In his more than five decades as a chef, Tonizzo worked all over the globe including stints in Paris, London and Florence.

As a young man, Lucio – the second oldest of four brothers, all chefs – joined his oldest brother, Ermano, as assistant chef in the kitchen at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. Here, he rubbed shoulders with the Beatles and the Queen of England, and met his wife Catherine, a Scottish immigrant who taught her new husband to speak English using signs. They married in 1967.

Lucio later enjoyed an intimate dinner with George H.W. Bush and his son George W. and their family.

“For him being from a small Italian village after the war with little of anything to sit with the president of the United States made him very proud,” Flavia said.

In spite of his accomplishments, Lucio never boasted about where had been, and was most happy here.

“His dream finally came true in Culpeper,” Flavia said.

“To have his dream dollhouse-like restaurant and work side by side with his family – the most important thing in his life.”

Aside from his family and food, Lucio loved sports, she said, noting her dad was an avid golfer who would sometimes play 36 holes in one day and want to keep going.

When in Rome as a boy, he was picked at age 14 to play soccer with the famous Roman team, Lazio, his daughter said.

“His father who was a tailor said he had never seen astronomical measurement like Lucio’s thighs,” Flavia said. “He was known for his powerful left foot.”

In fact, his legs were so powerful he was recruited as a kicker for the Washington Redskins when he came to America. But because he couldn’t speak the language and knew nothing about American football, he declined the position so anxious was he about getting tackled.

Lucio served as executive chef at the famed Shoreham Hotel in D.C. and earlier at the Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, Md. In more recent years, Lucio and his family ran the first Lucio Restaurant in the Shenandoah Valley and later the restaurant at Bryce Resort.

Ermano Tonizzo, renowned chef and former owner of the Alpine Restaurant in Arlington, said he played golf with his brother just a few days before he was hospitalized.

Ermano, who retired last year, and lives in the Valley, said news of his brother’s condition came as a shock. Lucio also leaves behind a brother, Luiggi, who ran Mike’s Italian Restaurant in Alexandria for years.

His youngest brother, Beppo, and parents Palmira and Enrico Tonizzo preceded him in death.

“We are four brothers, all very close,” Ermano said, unable to pick just one of Lucio’s culinary specialties. “He was an inventor – he didn’t go by the book. Everything was a creation.”

Lucio was honest and cheerful, Ermano added, lamenting his brother’s passing, and the years when they were apart as Lucio traveled the world.

“We were spending time together now and were just talking about when he was going to retire,” Ermano Tonizzo said.

Franco Stocco, longtime chef at Violino’s in Winchester, knew Lucio and all the Tonizzo brothers for years through the business. His mother and Lucio’s mother, in addition, were from the same small-town in the Venice region of Italy.

Stocco described Lucio as a hardworking, friendly and kind person who always made sure his kitchens were run well. As for his food, that spoke for itself.

“He had the typical lean northern cuisine of Italy,” Stocco said. “Very light, some crème, but very simple, not heavy. The type of classical cuisine where you can eat every day there and never be tired of it.”

Stocco knew all four Tonizzo brothers, and as a fellow immigrant formed a natural bond that lasted.

“People pursuing the American dream like me, makes me part of the family,” he said. “They were very, very generous. That was one of the characteristics of the family.”

Culpeper County Chamber of Commerce President Jim Charapich, like perhaps most Culpeper diners, did not know Lucio personally, but loved his food.

“I was a big fan of the restaurant,” Charapich said, recalling a recent dining experience in the cozy Main Street spot. “The food and service were excellent. They had a knack for atmosphere in the restaurant. The decorations were always elegant, unique, and warm. We will miss his special touch in our lives.”

Actually, Lucio’s older daughter, Palmira, a former design student, gets credit for the décor choices. And like her dad, she mostly stayed in the kitchen, preparing dishes to warm the soul.

Flavia, on the other hand, is the face of Lucio Restaurant, always at the front welcoming guests, making them feel at home. Both sisters plan to continue their dad’s legacy, and will reopen the Main Street restaurant in coming weeks, as Lucio would have wanted.

“Hopefully soon I can transfer my responsibilities to her,” he said back in 2004. “So I can go play golf.”

Lucio spent his final days doing what he loved with the people he loved most.

“Back in the kitchen is where I do all my swearing and praying,” Tonizzo said.

It’s hard to believe he is gone, Flavia said, noting her dad’s behind-the-scenes generosity.

“He did so many things for the community and never wanted recognition for it. When you offer a hand you should not want to be praised, he would say. That is the true meaning of character.”

Paying respects

Anyone wishing to honor the memory of Lucio Tonizzo, chef at Lucio Restaurant on Main Street, is invited to join the family Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. at Holy Rosary Italian Church, 595 3^rd St., NW Washington, D.C. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Culpeper Humane Society P.O. Box 1224 Culpeper, Va. 22701.