When longtime chef and restaurateur Scott Cutaneo took over Uproot in Warren in 2022, his goal was not only to create a place that looked great and had delicious food, but also to provide an experience where diners felt special.
“When they come in, I treat them like guests, like they're in my house,” he says. “Whether it's a CEO or a child, I want to see them smile.”
That’s the magic for Scott, and he has the experience and aptitude to understand what makes his guests happy. His career path was set after a meal at a restaurant in Washington, DC. “I’m from New York, and went to BU [Boston University] for business. I was dating a girl from McLean, Virginia, and we ate at Jean-Louis Palladin’s restaurant in the Watergate Hotel. When I tasted the food, it hit my frontal cortex, and it was amazing to think that somebody could produce something that made me think about it all the time. After that, I was hooked.”
Since he has dual citizenship (his mother is Irish), he went to Europe and worked at three-star Michelin restaurants before returning to NY and doing the same. At the age of 27, he opened his first restaurant and just kept on growing from there. Uproot, with its giant indoor Olive tree, is his fifth, and is operated along with partners Gaurav Sharma and Brian Silbert.
As with his other ventures, he drew on what he had learned from his dad, an interior designer, to make Uproot an inviting place to eat. Whether that meal is at a table celebrating an important life event or at the bar having a quick beer and burger, Scott wants it to be unforgettable. Their burgers, for example, are made exclusively for the restaurant from a special brisket blend from a butcher shop, then cooked on a wood-fired grill and placed on a roll from Baltazar Bakery in New York.
“We just added sushi, and I brought in a chef from Morimoto to come in to train me, because I wasn’t putting sushi on the menu unless it was the best sushi I could make,” he says.
Every meal is delivered by people who love what they do. “I'm more of a teacher, a coach, and I find people who love their craft. It has to be an extension of their heart, otherwise they’ll never make a connection with the guests.”
Uproot also hosts three-Michelin-star wine dinners with Nick Bradley, a sommelier from Per Se in New York. “Our wine list is world-class,” says Scott. “This is our second year of getting the Best of Award of Excellence.”
Unique cocktails are also always available. “My manager, Sam, put together a great bartending crew. I have Christian, Hector, and Mike, and they're very creative in what they do. These guys are dedicated—it's their passion. My other manager, Khalid, is a great partner and has a good pulse on our staff, which for me is invaluable.”
On Wednesday nights, people love coming in to hear music, including jazz with the popular entertainment duo, Julian and Dominique. “We move the tables, and people of all ages start dancing,” he says. Other events are held on the outdoor patio in late spring and summer, and people can also host their own special events in the restaurant.
“With Uproot, we plant seeds, and if they're good seeds, they're going to grow,” says Scott.
