This & That
Meet Amanda Cifaldi | Article By Jesse Blanco
CH2 Magazine | May 2022
When you do what I do for a living, you naturally have the pleasure of meeting a lot of people. Before I became a full-time food journalist, I was a traditional television news reporter and anchor——a sports reporter before that. If you’ve been around here long enough, you remember. I know this because I’m frequently reminded by people at Publix that they remember my days in sports at WSAV. That is what originally brought me to this area way back in the 19 hundred and 99.
As you might imagine, I’ve seen a lot.
I’ve also been around long enough to happily abide by a largely unwritten rule in journalism. Yes, journalists have taken an unfair beating the last few years, but we do have rules and a large majority of us follow them, integrity, you know.
The rule is to never display too close of a relationship with people you cover. The rule is intended to protect a journalist’s credibility. If I were best friends with Tom Brady and shared photos with him and his family every day on social media, would anyone believe me if I told you he was not guilty of wrongdoing? Probably not. It’s a natural check and balance.
Sure, we all have friends in the industry we cover, but we largely keep our closest relationships in the shadows. It’s just how a wise journalist works. There’s a trust factor as well.
Today, for the first time in my career, I am here to smash that rule to bits. With a sledgehammer. How so?
I want to tell you about Amanda Cifaldi.
The Lowcountry knows Amanda as chef/owner of the incredibly popular Pomodori Italian Restaurant. She’s a Michigan girl who moved here after her formal chef training in Italy because her family had set up here.
The Michigan girl who had the … how can I put this? Onions? To open an Italian restaurant a pitching wedge away from two very well established Italian powerhouses at the time: Michael Anthony’s and Ombra Cucina Rustica. She’s more than made a name for herself.
That’s how and where we met half a dozen or so years ago. We featured her on our TV show. The chemistry was instant, though it didn’t take long to realize that Amanda has never met a stranger.
Over the years, when businesses came up, we’d speak. That happened maybe every two and a half years. I love to tease her about the time I called the restaurant and left a voice mail asking “Allison” to call me back. Clearly we were besties back then.
Last year, Amanda called me out of the blue. She invited me to dinner to discuss an idea she’d been mulling. We met at Chez George on June 26. It was the first time we’d ever spent time together outside of “work.” We ate like savages and laughed like pirates. An unforgettable evening.
The idea was to creat a pilot for a television show called Destination Wellness——a travel/food show that featured healthy eats and activities at a particular destination. Have you ever heard of such a thing? No, you haven’t because it doesn’t exist.
The idea was (and remains) brilliant. The work started almost immediately. The plan was (and is) to shop the concept around and hope someone with deep pockets bites.
Just like anything else, sometimes it was fun, sometimes it was not. Most times we laughed, sometimes we wanted to cry. It has been an amazing experience. But the best part of it has had zero to do with television production and everything to do with the woman who has now become one of my dearest friends.
I’ve spent more time with Amanda and her family than I ever thought was going to happen when I agreed to help with this project. I’ve sat in her kitchen and watched her chase her little boy Milo around the family room. I’ve been out to dinner with Amanda and her wife Robin. I’ve heard countless stories of her generosity with her staff at Pomodori. I’ve seen their loyalty to her on display.
It says a lot about the boss when pretty much every employee has been there since day one, roughly 11 years ago. On this island that’s close to an impossibility.
During the pandemic shut down, she started a catering company. It has become a second full-time job. Or should I say third? She takes Milo to school every single day and picks him up as well-—sometimes on her bike. Our mid-day conversation is many-a-time built around his naps.
She just wrapped up a significant renovation of her restaurant——a very tall order when you consider some of the chairs that were ordered were being shipped from Ukraine. Yeah, really. She tells me I will love the new look. I’m sure I will, though as I write this I haven’t seen it yet.
Oh, and while you and yours are perusing where to hold your Mother’s Day brunch this year, she’s preparing to give her mom one of her kidneys. Yeah, really. During the busiest time of the year at the restaurant.
I honestly don’t know where she gets the energy, never mind the stamina to do everything I’ve shared with you to this point, but the zest with which she engages every single islander she encounters … I’m convinced she’s part cyborg.
For the record, she can cook too. Duh. Her “come over I’m whipping something ups” are some of the best things I’ve eaten the last 12 months. I’ve watched her go from a tough-cookie businesswoman to a soft, kind and loving spouse with a wave of a hand like something out of Star Wars. I’m regularly bumfuzzled by how easy she makes it all look.
She’s also a fiercely loyal friend, one of the most genuine I’ve had in my 53 years. That’s saying something.
It’s more than likely that a majority of the food and beverage industry on the island knows the Amanda Cifaldi I know. I decided to share this because the average guest at her restaurant (and there are a lot of you) likely does not. I think you should.
Hilton Head Island is lucky to have her. I don’t suspect you’ve heard the last of Destination Wellness, either. With any luck, it will be coming soon to a streaming service near you.
In the short term, forgive me, but I need to hook a gal pal up. Stop by Pomodori and grab a bite. You will eat it and like it.
