MANILA, Philippines - Who is the Italian-American chef who is best known for bringing Italian food to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Houston with award- winning restaurants like Valentino?
He was born in Modica, Sicily and immigrated to the US at the age of 18. After a few months of washing dishes in a cafeteria in New York University, he moved to Los Angeles to live with an uncle who was the manager of the legendary Chasen’s.
Within five years, he advanced from busboy to manager and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Romance languages, speaking fluent French, Spanish, English, and Italian.
In 1972, at just 26, he received an offer to open an Italian restaurant. He sensed tremendous potential for quality Italian foods and wines and in Los Angeles, and opened the restaurant Valentino.
By the early 1990s, the restaurant had reached its full potential, and was awarded No. 1 of the top three restaurants in the country by Wine Spectator in 1995 and No. 1 by Ruth Reichl, the restaurant critic of the New York Times, who called it the best Italian restaurant in America.
Valentino in Santa Monica is known for its innovative wine bar and the many celebrities and prominent personalities it hosts. His philosophy assures that the kitchen preserves its Italian authenticity. Many kitchen ingredients are imports from Italy, including white truffles, fresh porcini mushrooms, Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea fish, and the rarest unique discoveries from a growing society of food artisans.
Valentino’s wine cellar is considered one of the best in the world. It offers 2,200 choices among 130,000 bottles. “There are bigger wine cellars elsewhere in the US, but none better or more comprehensive,” says Marvin Shanken, publisher of Wine Spectator.
Between 1986 and 2003, he developed and operated two other concepts, Primi in West Los Angeles and Post in the San Fernando Valley, both of which became popular neighborhood destinations for social and business dining for several years. He sold both businesses in 2003, focusing on his most ambitious venture to date — Las Vegas.
He was one of the pioneers in bringing culinary excellence to Las Vegas. In the summer of 1999, Valentino and The Grill at Valentino opened at the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas. Valentino now ranks as one of the premier as one of the premiere dining restaurants in Las Vegas.
In 2003, he opened Giorgio Ristorante inside the Shoppes at Mandalay Palace in Las Vegas, a casual and comfortable trattoria-style eatery for a wider audience.
For his work, he has been the recipient of awards such as the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Service Award, No. 1 in Wine Spectator’s list of America’s 10 Best Italian Restaurants in 1997, voted as America’s Top Table by Gourmet Magazine’s readers, and the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Hall of Fame. More recently, Valentino was awarded the Restaurants and Institutions 2000 Ivy Award of Distinction.
Immensely proud of his Sicilian heritage, he steadfastly keeps his ties with Italy through food, culture, events, and activities, finding every opportunity to be a chef or guest at significant Italian events. He was given the Cavaliere Award by the President of the Sicilian Region for this significant contribution to the image of Italian heritage.
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