When Marea opened inside The Snow Lodge at The St. Regis Aspen Resort this winter, it marked a new chapter for the coastal Italian restaurant known for its seafood-driven menu and bold southern flavors. Set against Aspen’s snow-covered peaks, the restaurant brings a distinctly Mediterranean feel to a mountain destination.
The Snow Lodge, the alpine extension of Montauk’s Surf Lodge, has quickly become one of Aspen’s most sought-after winter dining and nightlife destinations. Within The St. Regis Aspen Resort, Marea’s dining room offers a warm contrast to the cold outside, pairing polished hospitality with the kind of pastas and seafood that have defined its New York and Beverly Hills locations.
While the address may have changed, Marea’s identity has not. Signature dishes remain central to the menu, even as the kitchen adapts to the realities of cooking at altitude. Appetito spoke with Marea Brand Executive Chef PJ Calapa about translating coastal Italian cooking to the mountains, creating new dishes for Aspen and the family roots that are still so important to him.
Q&A With Chef PJ Calapa
What inspired you to bring Marea’s coastal Italian cooking to a mountain setting like Aspen?
Most of our clients from Marea, New York, and Beverly Hills spend their winters in Aspen. It felt like the perfect fit for Marea to expand to Aspen, especially opening within The St. Regis.
How does cooking at altitude change the way you think about flavor, balance, or technique?
We have had to alter some pasta recipes. The temperature of the water in which it boils is lower, so we had to adjust it slightly. However, business is as usual in the kitchen.
Which dish on the menu best captures your point of view as a chef right now?
The Rotolo Bianco was made for Aspen. It is delicate white Bolognese layered with Tuscan kale, ricotta, Parmesan, fennel and tarragon. It felt just right for the mountains.
What part of the Italian coast continues to influence your cooking the most?
Calabria and Sicily will always be my biggest inspirations for my menus at Marea. Hot and spicy!
How do you decide which Marea signatures travel with you and which dishes feel right to reinvent here?
We cannot travel without the Fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow; Astice with Maine lobster, burrata, tomato, basil, and eggplant al funghetto; Branzino with sea bass tartare, pistachio, Calabrian chile, radish, and chive; and Bruschetta with garlic bread, Kaluga caviar, and burrata. Then, for Marea at The Snow Lodge in Aspen, we created the Rotolo Bianco. However, it may be traveling with us after this first season.
What do you hope guests feel or remember after a night at Marea at The Snow Lodge?
I want guests to feel like they are at their cool grandmothers’ house, both tasty and fun.
How do you approach creating a sense of warmth and comfort through food in a winter destination?
I strive to create comfort and warmth through an array of dishes at Marea at The Snow Lodge. Hot pasta and risotto cure it all. We love that people hop off the mountain with hunger for our pastas.
When you step back from the kitchen, what moment in your career still shapes how you cook today?
Family time will always inspire my approach, where there were no professional chefs at home. They sure cooked like they were. Family dinners are the foundation of my approach for life.
Marea at The Snow Lodge opened in December 2025. Check out their website for more details.
