Chef Series: Ariccia's Chef Marc Osier
The man behind the Hotel at Auburn University's authentic Italian hotspot
Meet Marc Osier, the executive chef at Ariccia Cucina at the Hotel at Auburn University. As a cultured traveler, Chef Marc's career transcends cities and styles. He started out by interning at the largest resort in the Pacific Northwest, Sunriver Resort. Here he went from intern to Executive Sous Chef in just four years. Additionally, Chef Marc has served as the Executive Sous Chef at California's Hotel Del Coronado, Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Coast, Hilton Riverside, and Hilton LAX.
Each of these experiences has led him to focus on simple ingredients and meaningful food made with the highest caliber of precision. After so many years around the country, he returned to Auburn after craving a connection to the work, craftsmanship, and guest satisfaction.
“There is something so warm and natural about the service here. Having been in the industry for 20 years, this is one of the few places where the server-to-guest connection is just effortless," said Chef Marc.
The open kitchen, visible food-fire pizza oven, and large booths give a cozy feeling of being with loved ones. The comfortable ambiance makes Ariccia a place for not just food lovers, but people lovers as well.
“People hang out here all day long like it’s their living room," said Chef Marc. "There are so many residential components that make this place welcoming.”
Ariccia is a place to bring the community together, to be involved, to meet, and to have a common area.
The leadership of this hotel has set the tone for being incredibly accommodating, warm, and hyper-guest-focused.
He continued to say their focus is less about building a reputation and having an online presence than it is being involved in the community through local sourcing, Storybook Farms, and being the place for locals and visitors to come and feel like they’ve been coming for years.
Ariccia is named after the town of Ariccia, Italy where Auburn University has a sister program and campus where the school of hospitality and human science sends students on their study abroad program. The town is most known for its porchetta, which is a large, rolled pork roast wrapped in spices and shaved thin. Just as Philadelphia is known for its Philly cheese steaks, so is Ariccia for its porchetta. Along with the name, they have adopted traditional Italian food from that area on the menu.
The homemade pizza and pasta encompass the whole restaurant. Their pasta bolognese, fettuccini alfredo, and Margherita pizza are a few of the staples that are “not going anywhere.” As for the seasonal specials, the lamb rack, white bean salad with grilled lamb and roasted tomatoes, and snapper dish will be around each year.
Another Ariccia special offering is their seven-day-a-week brunch. The Monte Cristo is the dish above all brunch dishes. Chef Marc describes it as “reliving the childhood feeling of fun.” The Monte Cristo is a shaved porchetta, deep-fried French toast sandwich.
“Think of funnel cake and a fancy ham and cheese that goes great with a glass of sparkling wine."
Chef Marc is also the culinary director for restaurants and food halls for Ithaka Hospitality. In this role, he oversees the management of the long-awaited Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Center’s food hall and ordering. Ariccia already locally sources its ingredients from a few local farms such as Edmen’s Meats, Hornsby Farms, and Ralph’s Lettuce. According to Chef Marc, the Rane Culinary Art Center will have a garden on the rooftop that will provide them with “hyper-local products.”
There will be eight vendors with everything from burgers to pizza, tacos to poke, gelato, Asian noodle bowls, and a gelato shop. The Hey Day Market, as it will be called, is going to be the perfect place for students across the street to get something new, and a great hangout and homework spot for the students that are working in the building and for the Laurel Hotel and Spa.
To learn more about Ariccia's offerings and team, click here. For more information about the Rane Culinary Science Center, click here.
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