Raised by his Italian grandmother who didn’t speak a word of English, Ken Vedrinski was made to attend 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. mass every Sunday morning in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. After the later service, other Italian immigrants from the congregation came back to the house for his grandmother’s home cooking. Vedrinski recalled how the aromas from her kitchen instantly lifted the somber after-church mood. “She loved making people happy,” Vedrinski said. “Even as a child, I could see how food brings people together and I knew I wanted to do that too.”
Under an apprenticeship with certified master chef Hartmut Handke, Vedrinski spent four years earning more than 8,000 hours of practical experience while also attending the American Culinary Federation, where he earned a degree in restaurant and hotel management. “Dedication and hard work lent to a mindset and skill set. If you wanted to get ahead and advance, you worked the most hours with proficiency.”
After graduation, Vedrinski’s journey led him to work under Chef Jean-Pierre de Cretky at the upscale Arthur’s 27 on the 27th floor of Disney World’s Buena Vista Palace. After a year’s tenure, de Cretky invited Vedrinski to join him in Piraeus, Greece. There, Vedrinski joined the crew of the Sea Goddess I, a luxury 120-room passenger ship, as the only American chef. After six months at sea, he finished his contract in Guadalupe and returned to Ohio, where he became a chef in the Park Hyatt. His global adventures then took him to the Hyatt Grand Cayman where he stayed for a couple of years before taking a position as a chef at the Four Seasons in Chicago. Then the Swiss Hotel in Atlanta recruited him to become their executive chef.
Again, opportunity came knocking with the opening of the Woodlands in Summerville. By delivering fivestar, award-winning dishes, Vedrinski’s career took off to the next level.
Yet something was still missing. As an artist and creative, Vedrinski had always craved having his own restaurant. He left the Woodlands to open Sienna on Daniel Island. After parting ways with his partner to go out on his own, he founded the James Beard-nominated Trattoria Lucca in downtown Charleston.
In 2013, Vedrinski launched Coda del Pesce, Italian for “tail of the fish,” on the Isle of Palms, where he has captured his cultural upbringing. Most every dish at Coda del Pesce features fresh, locally or sustainably caught seafood in primi, secondi and piatti selections that change daily based on what’s local, seasonal and available. Vedrinski’s perspective on this authentic style of cuisine is rooted in his ancestry.
“Because Italy is a peninsula surrounded by water, seafood is hugein our culture,” Vedrinski said. “I wanted to showcase that, rather than the Italian-American popular options like lasagna and spaghetti. I wasn’t going to cave to the norm.”
Indeed, Vedrinski’s crowd-pleasing house made pasta invites patrons to return time and again. The extensive list of all-Italian wines is composed of hard-to-find varietals, all hand-selected by him based on relationships he has formed with the producers.
Located on the main street of Front Beach, Coda del Pesce seats 70-plus. Contemporary interiors include floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Atlantic and an architectural restoration features reclaimed wood for flooring and wall treatments while blending natural materials like driftwood with neutral blues and gray paint colors.
The exterior deck boasts a sweeping view of the Atlantic and its 18 seats are covered under an arch filled with Italianate topiaries. This breezy outdoor space is an ideal oasis for hosting intimate gatherings. For a more casual and laid-back island vibe, the inside bar area serves as the perfect spot for a drop-in.
Coda del Pesce is open Tuesday through Saturday at 5:30 p.m. To enjoy Vedrinski’s culinary masterpieces, book a reservation at codadelpesce.com.
By Sarah Rose
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