It’s just amazing. The feeling—I don’t know how to explain it.” So says a grateful Giovanni Panza, whose Soffritto Italian Grill in Newark has been named the best Italian restaurant—outside Italy—in the world. The award, the Premio Ospitalita Italiana of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce, was given in June, with a medal from President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy and, later, a tribute from the office of Delaware Gov. Jack Markell. Key to the honor: Panza’s wife, chef Stefania, uses only ingredients imported from Italy, everything from olive oil to pasta to tomatoes. “Your food has to represent Italian food at its finest,” says Giovanni Panza. “You’re prosciutto di Parma has to be from Parma.” Also key: heaping portions of family-style hospitality. “When you are here, you are in my house.” (455-1101, soffritto.com)
