A FORMER PASTRY CHEF SERVES UP MODERN TAVERN FARE AT A SOUTH ORANGE LANDMARK
BY ERIK SCHONING PHOTOS BY ALEX BARETTO
In 2015, Village Hall in South Orange was at a crossroads. Built in 1894 in a classic Germanesque style, the building had served many purposes over the years, housing the township’s fire department, police department, and municipal offices at different points in time. But by 2015, the building was in severe disrepair, and all signs pointed to permanent closure. But Landmark Hospitality saw potential in the historic space, and in late 2022, the family-owned boutique hospitality firm reintroduced the South Orange fixture as Village Hall Tavern and Pumphouse Beer Garden.
Village Hall’s journey from municipal building to destination restaurant is filled with twists and turns, a similar path to its chef de cuisine, Ray Russo. Growing up in an Italian-American household, Russo attributes his love of cooking to his grand mother. After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education, he worked at Ferrara Bakery for six years, kicking off a career as a pastry chef. It wasn’t until he took a job at Paris Café by Jean-Georges that he made the career-defining transition from pastries to dinner plates.
“Pastry is very scientific,” Russo said. “You can be creative, but a soufflé is a soufflé. You can change the flavors, but the components and the basics don’t change. When it comes to savory, you have so much more freedom to play around with. You can do your own thing. You can experiment with the fundamentals to create an amazing product.”
Within seven months, he was the executive chef at Paris Café. One day, while Russo was taking a break from cooking to start his family, he was approached by a former colleague, now with Landmark Hospitality. Eventually he was brought in to take over Village Hall just nine months after the restaurant opened.
The restaurant itself is a fusion of old and new, a modern tavern housed in a historic setting. To complement this theme, Russo designed a menu that is both familiar yet unexpected.
“My main philosophy in cooking is anyone can go buy caviar and a Wagyu filet mignon and cook it,” Russo said. “They’re amazing ingredients, but they don’t define you as a chef. A chef is someone who can take ingredients that a home cook wouldn’t normally find or things that would normally be discarded and turn them into something beautiful.”
One of his signature ever-so-slightly tweaked dishes is a potato gnocchi. Village Hall’s version is gluten-free, thanks to the clever use of ground dried white rice as a flour substitute. The dish is a testament to Russo’s commitment to getting the most from his ingredients: he makes a basil oil using leftover stems, and the burrata spooned ontop is made in-house with scraps of mozzarella. The dish is then finished in a tomato sauce. What might first appear to be a typical gnocchi presentation is in fact full of thoughtful, elevated touches.
Russo and his team visit their local farmer’s market every day, and his menu reflects that. The offerings change on the first day of each new season, and there is an ever-shifting roster of specials on offer. One of his bestsellers, a Berkshire bone-in pork Milanese pounded thin and served with an arugula, pickled fennel, and prosciutto salad, was originally launched as a special. Russo noted it was such a hit that he put it on the menu. A current special, a take on a carbonara with guanciale foam and pork chicharrones, was another instant favorite.
Russo believes in a collaborative approach to cooking. He is always looking to improve, whether by collaborating with his staff on recipe development or talking to diners. He believes that running a great restaurant involves checking your ego at the door. “I listen to my team, from my sous chefs to the dishwashers,” said Russo.
Despite the demands of running a busy kitchen, Russo still finds time to start the bread-making every day himself. For the chef, it’s a grounding process. He is extremely detail-oriented, from the food to the service, and he never loses sight of the lifeblood of his restaurant: the guests.
“At the end of the day, your customer base is at the heart of the restaurant,” Russo said. “If your customers aren’t happy, it doesn’t matter how good of a chef you are. We’re here to serve. We’re here to please people. That’s the only reason we’re in the restaurant business.”
As Russo enters his second summer at Village Hall, he is continually looking to improve. Village Hall is expanding its pasta menu due to popular demand, and is rolling out a new beer garden menu just in time for warmer weather. He is always looking to reinvent and push the boundaries of what a chef can do. As the history of Village Hall proves, reinvention, when done right, is a recipe for success.
Village Hall Tavern and Pumphouse Beer Garden
101 S Orange Avenue, South Orange 973.996.8969 / villagehallnj.com / @villagehallnj