Walter Gualtiero Potenza

Providence, RI / Mosciano Sant' Angelo - Italy

Passion should be Walter Potenza's middle name.  His restaurants are quite possibly the most authentic in the city of Providence, which is now a world-class restaurant city.  He is as much a historian as he is a chef.  His attention to details and devotion to history gives his customers a delicious taste of the real Italy.

Chef Walter Potenza, a native of Abruzzo, Italy, is known as one of the most passionate and accomplished practitioners of traditional Italian cooking in the nation.  Potenza came to America at the age of 19, to live with his family and study history at Rhode Island College, but it was clear very quickly, his love of cooking would draw him in another direction, directly to the restaurant business. 

Potenza has led kitchens in some of the most renowned restaurants in New England as well as in his Italian hometown.  Potenza opened The Sunflower Café and La Locanda del Coccio, both located in Providence, in 1994.  Opening in 1999 to raves from enthusiastic foodies, Chef Walter’s Aquaviva Eurobistro, the first tapas-style restaurant-cafe in Rhode Island was launched.  History repeats itself, as is the case with Chef Walter.  Having opened his first fine dining restaurant appropriately named Walter’s, in 1985, and originally located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Walter was anxious to reinvent this establishment elsewhere. 

While still guiding the kitchens at his other properties, Walter found the perfect venue and surroundings.  This new fine dining jewel opened in 2004, housed in an historic 1917 Palazzo located on historically significant Federal Hill in Providence, the cultural centerpiece for the Italian immigration colony of the 1900.  Christened Walter’s Ristorante d'Italia , the public enjoys the first-of-its-kind fine dining menu to feature  "Vera cucina Italiana" authentic cuisine derived from several periods through out Italian culinary history.  Potenza’s unique cooking style is honed from a special love of recreating and reinterpreting Holiday dishes and foods traditional to the Italian Jews. The Jewish Heritage, has been associated with Italy for over 2.000 years, and its culinary repertoire integrated into the land.

Spezia Foodsmith’s  Organic Natural Market and Café opened in 2006, and is the latest brainchild from this energetic and passionate Italian-American.  Dedicated to the finest quality foods, Spezia offers take- out, casual setting, tasting, and a wine bar, as well as specialty packaged foods and condiments.  Chef Walter’s hope was for his guests to recreate a culinary experience of their own at home, with foods lovingly created from Spezia, which features ingredients with no trans-fats, hormone free, no GMO, Gluten free, and sustainable products from 50 miles of territory.  Many of the produce and cheese products found here come from local artisans and sustainable farming co-ops hand selected by Chef Walter.

In addition to operating his restaurants and Spezia Foodsmith’s, Potenza is the Director of Chef Walter's Cooking School, operating both in Gubbio, Italy and Providence, Rhode Island. Lately, he has added a new location for his Travel & Cooking. His native Abruzzo is the centerpiece of the new Italian culinary discovery, specifically the province of Teramo where the chef was born.  He was the first chef in the United States to introduce the century’s old technique and art of Terracotta cookery, with Chef Potenza devising historically accurate food dishes specially designed to be cooked in these clay pots. His latest venture is a new concept / restaurant named "Spiga Trattoria " with Italian farm cooking being the focus of the menu'. The concept is to fairly showcase the humble origins of Italian farmers who developed their own culinary repertoire during the various segments of farm laboring. The quaint country home is located in Cranston Rhode Island.

Potenza’s culinary awards include the Five-Star Diamond Award, the Porto-Novo Award, and the prestigious Insignia Award given to Chef Walter in 2000 by the Italian government.  This award identifies Chef Walter as one of the Ambassadors of Italian Culture worldwide. His articles are published in national and international gastronomic publication. He has been featured on channels such as the Food network, Fox, We, Travel, Rai, CBS, NBC, and the host of two cooking shows; Flavors & knowledge with ABC, and Stir it up with Cox network. His Federal Hill cook book is at his 4th printing, and in the process of releasing two more; "Federal Hill Dolciumi", and the much awaited " 19 Ghettos " the life and the foods of the Jews in Italy after the Inquisition".

Potenza was one of a select group of chefs named to the James Beard Specialty Chef Program, held during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Utah.  A 2002 winner of the State of Rhode Island’s, Man of the Year, Potenza continues to teach the history of hundreds of years of culinary experimentation to many in his community and around the country.

Walter's Ristorante d'Italia 286 Atwells Avenue Providence RI / Since 1985