The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium announces collaboration with Chef Nick Curtola

Michelin-Starred Four Horsemen Chef Nick Curtola

This year, Parmigiano Reggiano has announced a collaboration with Nick Curtola, Executive Chef at the highly acclaimed The Four Horsemen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

Nick Curtola’s accolades at The Four Horsemen include a Michelin star, held since 2019, a two-star review from The New York Times, as well as semi-finalist nominations for James Beard Award for Best Chef New York, and Outstanding Restaurant. In 2025, The Four Horsemen was named #15 on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Last year, Curtola and his team opened a second restaurant, I Cavallini, across the street from The Four Horsemen.

The chef partnership arises from Chef Curtola’s deep admiration and kinship with Italy and its legacy agri-foods. Chef Curtola previously spent a year staging in Piedmont, an experience that reinforced his love for simple, rustic cooking. He returns regularly to explore the nation’s vast culinary heritage and products – including Parmigiano Reggiano.

The revered Italian import and “king of cheese” has remained a staple on his menus and is featured prominently in his recent cookbook The Four Horsemen: Food + Wine for Good Times. Parmigiano Reggiano is a titular character in The Four Horsemen dishes such as Wax Bean Tempura with Basil and Parmigiano Reggiano, Nori Fritters with Yuzu Sesame Seeds and Parmigiano Reggiano, Chicory Salad with Anchovy and Parmigiano Reggiano and Pork Chop Milanese with Arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano. Parmigiano Reggiano also headlines signatures at I Cavallini including the Trofie with Pesto.

Produced for over a millenia using only three ingredients, authentic Parmigiano Reggiano adheres to strict, artisanal PDO guidelines. It is produced exclusively in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua to the right of the Po river, and Bologna to the left of the Reno River. Parmigiano Reggiano is always made with just three ingredients: cow’s milk, salt and rennet. It is aged a minimum of 12 months before a professional battitore taps on the cheese to confirm it can be certified as authentic Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. No additives or preservatives are ever used, nor are they needed due to the humidity-controlled aging techniques and long aging times, resulting in a naturally lactose-free cheese.

Each year, the Parmigiano Reggiano honors a top U.S. chef with an annual collaboration and Consortium dinner. Past partnerships have included chef collaborations with Ignacio Mattos (Altro Paradiso), Stefano Secchi (Rezdora), Tom Colicchio (Vallata), David Chang (Momofuku Nishi), Akshay Bhardwaj (Junoon), and Michele Casadei Massari (Lucciola).

For nearly 1,000 years, Parmigiano Reggiano has been produced exclusively in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua to the right of the Po river, and Bologna to the left of the Reno River. Parmigiano Reggiano is always made with just three ingredients: cow’s milk, salt and rennet. The feeding of cattle complies with the norms of a strict specification that bans the use of silage and fermented feeds. Parmigiano Reggiano is aged a minimum of 12 months while most Parmigiano Reggiano available in the US is aged a minimum of 24-36 months. No additives or preservatives are ever used as part of the strict production guidelines, nor are they needed due to the humidity-controlled aging techniques and long aging times, resulting in a naturally lactose-free cheese. For more information on Parmigiano Reggiano, head to parmigianoreggiano.us. Follow the brand on Instagram and Facebook at @parmigianoreggiano.na.