Joey Campanaro
Chef/Owner, The Little Owl
Owner, Market Table 

Joey Campanaro was raised in an Italian-American household in Philadelphia where the food of his childhood inspired him to make cooking his vocation.  With a culinary approach firmly rooted in his Italian grandmother’s kitchen and honed in a range of America’s top restaurants, Joey brings a lifelong affinity for Mediterranean cuisine to every dish he creates. 

As a dishwasher at a seasonal restaurant on the Jersey Shore, he was instantly hooked by the fraternal, energetic nature of restaurant life.  While majoring in restaurant management at Penn State, Joey spent an inspiring semester in Italy, studying early Etruscan architecture and culture and exploring the bounty of the country’s simple and deeply satisfying food.  A few years later Joey traveled to France, where he studied winemaking and further developed his skills with Mediterranean cuisine.  

When he returned home, Joey began to cook the pure, uncomplicated flavors he’d learned to use while in Europe.  His pursuit took him to restaurants in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York, where he worked alongside esteemed chefs Neil Murphy, Joachim Splichal, Jimmy Bradley and Jonathan Waxman.  While in Los Angeles, Joey was also chef de cuisine of Universal Studio’s Executive Dining Room and the proprietor of his own Hollywood-based catering company.   

In 2001, restaurateurs Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams asked Joey to move back to New York to open The Harrison.  As executive chef, Joey’s devotion to the kitchen won the hearts of New York diners and, in December 2001, a two-star review from The New York Times.  Joey moved on to become the executive chef of another Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams restaurant – an Italian restaurant in Tribeca called Pace.  After Pace, Joey re-opened his catering business and set out to open the restaurant he had always dreamed of opening – The Little Owl, which has since received wide acclaim from critics and guests alike.   

Even with the success of The Little Owl, Joey continues to cater and consult for some of the biggest names in the country, including Martha Stewart, Mike Piazza, NBC Universal, Conde Nast Publishing and TOD’s.  His enthusiasm, professionalism, and, of course, his cooking make him a one of the most sought after food personalities in New York.  Joey has been featured on NBC’s Today Show, the Martha Stewart Show, the Food Network’s Iron Chef America, the CBS Early Show, and in publications like Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Conde Nast Traveler. 

At The Little Owl, Joey is cooking the food he loves, focusing on the freshest seasonal ingredients combined with the bold, rich flavors of the Mediterranean and a few tricks he learned from his grandmother.  This intimate, 28 seat stage is a far cry from the larger restaurant kitchens Joey’s helmed thus far, and he enjoys one-on-one interaction with his guests as he cooks for them.  Joey’s genuinely friendly nature and refined-yet-accessible culinary technique instantly make The Little Owl a place where guests are able to enjoy good food, good people and good times.