With an aim to offer traditional Italian cuisine, the restaurant honors traditional cooking methods to replicate authentic dishes, the owners said.
Getchell opened Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano with Mac Delaup in August 2023. The partnership between the two began during a Hurricane Harvey relief effort where the two partnered to cook and serve over 60,000 meals to Houstonians in need at the NRG Center in 2017.
“It was the bond that we made when we did that event that led us to open a restaurant in Houston together,” Delaup said.
Meet the chef
Getchell started his career as a nuclear power engineer for the U.S. Navy and decided to pivot into his passion for cooking after seven years.
He earned a bachelor's degree in business and an associates degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University, which led him to accomplish his dream of becoming a chef for Disney Springs in Orlando.
With over 1,000 restaurants with a variety of cuisines located in Disney Springs in Florida, Getchell said he was able to work for multiple restaurants and move his way up in the industry while becoming an expert in several cuisines.
Getchell said although he is not Italian, he decided to open an Italian restaurant due his extensive research in Italian cuisine and time learning how to cook Italian food “the right way” while working for Disney.
Upon deciding to open an Italian restaurant, Getchell spent six months perfecting the Neapolitan pizza to replicate authentic Italian style pizza made with tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil, and he spent roughly two years working on the restaurant's concept.
“My family hated pizza after that,” Getchell said. “They were sick of it because I made pizza every day for six months straight.”
As an experienced chef, Getchell said he enjoys having complete control over his restaurant’s recipes and continues to play a role as the restaurant’s lead chef and owner alongside his sous chef Fabian Esquivel.
What’s in a name
The name Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano was inspired by the Italian phrase “dolce far niente” which translates to “the sweetness of doing nothing.”
“It means the sweetness of doing nothing and letting us wait on you,” Delaup said.
Getchell and Delaup said they strive to incorporate their core values to support the name of the restaurant, including quality, hospitality, value, family and integrity.
Delaup said Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano ensures quality Italian food by focusing on the consistency of the quality of every dish and “great hospitality” with a knowledgeable staff.
To support college students, the restaurant offers additional payments to college students who work at the restaurant and earn As and Bs at the end of each semester.
On the menu
Getchell and Delaup said their commitment to authenticity starts with Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano’s kitchen, where everything from the restaurant's bread to its pasta is made from scratch.
The pizza is made through a three-day fermentation process using a Naples, Italy sauce recipe that uses imported San Marzano tomatoes, kosher salt, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil to ensure authenticity.
“We sell a lot of pizzas, hundreds of 12-inch Neapolitan pizzas, and if it's not a 12-inch pizza, it's not a Neapolitan pizza,” Delaup said.
Another menu item Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano specializes in is fettuccine alfredo, made with three main ingredients including salted butter, fettuccine noodles made in-house, pasta water and 24-month aged parmigiano reggiano.
Delaup said he recommends hungry diners get the two and a half-pound signature florentine steak, which serves up to four people.
Dessert options include cannolis, tiramisu and New York-style cheesecake as well as a seasonal dessert speciality such as the strawberry shortcake offered during the summer.
- 3784 Rayford Road, Ste. 600, Spring
- www.dolceniente.com
