The Local restaurant in North Naples gets its turn in the national spotlight tonight on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” TV show hosted by Guy Fieri.
The farm-to-table restaurant in Ridgeport Plaza at 5323 Airport-Pulling Road is celebrating by hosting a watch party beginning at 8 p.m. to see the April 4 episode, which begins at 9 p.m. All guests will receive a complimentary glass of sparkling wine to toast the occasion.
In promoting the “Flavortown Finds” episode with The Local, the Food Network’s website reports that the “Naples spot is crankin’ out killer culinary, like prime-time pastrami with pickled relish and knockout gnocchi with pork ragu.” The Local’s recipes for its Pork Ragu Gnocchi and skirt steak pastrami sandwich are featured on the show and included on the Food Network’s site.
The “Triple D” appearance is the culmination of a dream for Jeff Mitchell, executive chef and owner of The Local, since he launched his popular restaurant 12 years ago.
“I actually emailed the show 10 or 11 years ago saying we’d be a perfect fit. Nobody got back to me — until now,” Mitchell said.
The show was actually taped in early November when the TV crew came to town and also taped episodes that already have aired with The Rooster Food + Drink and Molto Trattoria in Naples, Cracklin’ Jacks in Golden Gate and Mykonos Kuzina in North Naples.
The Local was tapped because of its scratch kitchen that uses healthy cooking techniques and unique recipes to create memorable dishes from locally sourced ingredients. Mitchell received an email last summer from the show’s producers asking if he would be interested in being on the show.
“At first, I thought it was a scam. I get a lot of emails,” he said. “I think I responded, ‘Not sure if this is real, but I’m definitely interested.’”
That initiated an extensive selection process that included multiple in-depth interviews before The Local was chosen to appear on the show.
“It was fast-paced,” he said. “I got the call on a Monday, and they filmed the very next week. Day one, I cooked with Guy in the morning, and then we filmed the dining room scenes. Day two was all about B-roll footage. It was a long day, but it was worth it.”
While Mitchell enjoyed his entire taste of Flavortown, his fondest takeaway is Fieri’s kindness toward his family.
“I have three boys, and he treated them like celebrities,” Mitchell said. “It was awesome to see. Everyone left feeling like Guy is a class act. Off camera, he shared things with me that only real kitchen people understand — just little sayings and lingo that showed he’s the real deal.”
The Local serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
