The project pairs Rocchio with prolific Fort Lauderdale nightlife developer David Cardaci, whose Knallhart Management Group operates Rhythm & Vine, the Wilder, Roxanne’s and the soon-to-open rooftop pool bar at Quantum Flagler Village.

Inside the 120-year-old church, the nave will be home to a large nightclub called the Abbey, scheduled to open around the same time as the restaurant.

“This is a unique project, with the restaurant and the club next to each other, in this building. I told Dave, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on us to deliver, because of where I left off, and where he’s at,” Rocchio says.

The lunch and dinner menu at Holly Blue, named for the butterfly, will take its cues from the global tapas offerings at One Door East, where Rocchio let his creativity roam. Influences from Asia, South America and barbecue country all found a home on the One Door East menu.

Rocchio says he likely will continue to make his own pasta at Holly Blue, but is most excited about the state-of-the-art wok, where he expects to experiment with noodles, pad Thai, XO fried rice and the like.

Seating at Holly Blue will be evenly divided between an indoor dining room and a spacious wooden deck built around three large trees on the south side of the property. The deck will be lined with foliage, obscuring the view from Northeast Third Avenue.

Cardaci says the atmosphere will be “very airy, crisp and refreshing.”

Rocchio’s departure from Valentino Cucina and One Door East next door in 2019 surprised local devotees of his housemade pastas and signature veal chop, coming just months after he received a rare four-star review from Sun Sentinel food critic Michael Mayo.

Calling Valentino Cucina “a gastronomic temple” and “the best restaurant in Broward County,” Mayo wrote of Rocchio’s agnolotti carbonara: “I cannot fathom how I will have a better bite of pasta, or anything, all year.”

Rocchio, 54, says the review provided a welcome justification for the exhaustion he felt from a years-long string of 16-hour days, making pasta in the morning and working the kitchen line at night. But it also left him wondering how he’d ever be able to top himself — and why he should even try.

“I was burnt out. I had no interest in it anymore. My passion was gone, I guess,” he says.

After one particularly grueling Saturday night shift, he announced he was done, quickly selling partners his share of the restaurants, just south of the New River on Federal Highway (now home to Canyon Café).

In the nearly 18 months that have passed, he has followed through on his goal to spend more time with longtime girlfriend and business partner Elke Quintana, and with his parents in Plantation — his father, Tony Rocchio, opened the original Valentino in Lauderhill in 1972.

“And I’ve been surfing a lot and playing basketball,” Rocchio says. “My board is always in my car. … I kind of became a surf bum. The beach is my getaway zone.”

Rocchio says he feels both rested and re-energized.

“I realized that, after taking such a long break, if the only reason to get up is to go surfing or play basketball, there’s not very much fulfillment in your life. I definitely enjoyed the break, but I’m excited now to get back to it,” he says.

Rocchio liked what he heard about the project — a few years ago he also had considered turning the same church into a food hall.

“I like what’s going on here,” Rocchio says of Flagler Village. “I love this idea of a nightclub and a restaurant right next door. I think there’s going to be a great synergy between the two spots.”

The hire fits with Cardaci’s bid to ramp up the quality of dining service at some of his properties, including the recent addition of former Lionfish chef Johnny Demartini at the Wilder.

Cardaci says he was a regular at Valentino for years because of Rocchio.

“I’m just a huge fan of what he does. Not only of what he does, but he’s also a good guy, well liked in the community as well. That’s important to us,” Cardaci says.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com.