Roberto Donna

Last updated
Roberto Donna
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Turin, Italy
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
  • Alba Osteria, Al Dente
Previous restaurant(s)
  • Galileo
Award(s) won

Roberto Donna is an Italian chef and restaurateur in Washington D.C.

Donna was born in Turin, Italy, where he enrolled in culinary school at the age of 13. [1] He came to the United States at the age of 19, working in an Italian restaurant on K Street in Washington, D.C. [1] [2]

In 1984, Donna opened Galileo in Dupont Circle, which was an immediate success. [1] The restaurant only seated 50, and in the early days, even Vice-President George H. W. Bush could not secure a last-minute reservation. [3] Donna and his partner Savino Recine opened more casual trattorias, Primi Piatti, and then I Matti, serving pizza and pasta. [3] By the end of the 1990s, Donna's empire grew to 12 restaurants, including Il Radicchio, Pesce, and Barolo. [1] [4] In 1999, he expanded Galileo into a neighboring space and opened a restaurant-within-a-restaurant, Il Laboratorio del Galileo, serving multi-course meals in a small (25-30 seats) dining room, with a glass-walled "showcase" kitchen. [4] [5]

Donna published a cookbook, Cooking in Piedmont, in 1996. [2] [6]

Donna won the 1996 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. [2] [7] The next year, Galileo was named one of the "10 Best Italian Restaurants in America" by Wine Spectator . [2] [7] The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington recognized Donna as the "Chef of the Year" in 1990, and the "Restaurateur of the Year" in 1995. [2] Donna was invited to Rome in 1996 to receive the Insegna del Ristorante Italiano, awarded by the Italian Government in recognition of serving the best authentic Italian food outside Italy. [2] [8]

In 2005, Donna competed on Iron Chef America, losing to Masaharu Morimoto after failing to plate a sufficient number of dishes. [9] He requested a rematch and bested Morimoto in 2006. [10]

In 2004, Donna's company declared bankruptcy and his restaurants began to close; Galileo closed in 2006, and he had no restaurants to his name when Bebo Trattoria closed in 2009. [1] Donna was prosecuted for failing to pay taxes at Bebo, and in 2010, Donna pled guilty to felony embezzlement, receiving a five-year suspended sentence on condition of probation, good behavior, and restitution. [1] [11] Donna and his business partners still faced several civil lawsuits when he returned to the kitchen with the opening of Galileo III in October 2010. [1] [7] The restaurant closed abruptly after less than one year. [12]

In 2012, Donna opened Al Dente in Embassy Row, and Esquire magazine named him its "Chef of the Year." [13] In February 2013, a four-seat counter, Roberto's 4, opened within Al Dente. [14] At the end of 2013, Donna opened a second restaurant, Alba Osteria, in Mount Vernon Triangle. [15] Alba Osteria closed in 2019, citing rent disagreements with its landlord. [16]

In February, 2022, Roberto’s opened in Vienna, Virginia, with Donna as chef, doing what he does best. The restaurant is solely owned by Donna’s wife, Nancy Sabbagh. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komi (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Washington D.C., United States

Komi was a restaurant in Washington, D.C. operated by Chef Johnny Monis, serving Italian cuisine and Greek cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bastianich</span> American restaurateur, vineyard owner, and celebrity "chef"

Joseph Bastianich is an American restaurateur, winemaker, author, and television personality. He, along with his mother and business partner Lidia Bastianich, co-owns thirty restaurants in four countries, including Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles, which the owners expanded in 2010. Earlier that same year, they teamed up with businessman Oscar Farinetti to bring Eataly, an upscale food and wine market, to Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City and London.

Robert Kinkead was an American chef and restaurateur based in Washington D.C.

Eric Ziebold is an American chef and restaurateur with two Michelin Star restaurants in Washington, D.C., Kinship and Métier. He was executive chef at CityZen from 2004 to 2014, where he won several awards, including a James Beard Award.

Fabio Viviani is a chef, restaurateur, and cook book writer who has appeared on reality television. He also sells a range of wines. In 2005 he moved from Florence to Southern California. In 2008 he appeared on the reality television competition series Top Chef, where he was voted the "fan favorite"; since then he has had a second career as a television host, on-air personality and product pitchman.

Peter Chang is a Chinese chef specializing in Sichuan cuisine who is known for his restaurants in Virginia and other states in the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray's Hell Burger</span> Former American restaurant in Virginia, United States

Ray's Hell Burger was a hamburger restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, part of a group of restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area under the "Ray's" name owned by restaurateur Michael Landrum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Stefanelli</span> American chef

Nicholas Stefanelli is an American chef and restaurateur in Washington, D.C., known for his Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Masseria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massimo Bottura</span> Italian chef and restaurateur

Massimo Bottura is an Italian restaurateur and the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Modena, Italy. It has been ranked No.1 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list twice and is currently part of the Best of the Best list.

Aaron Silverman is an American chef and restaurateur, known for his Michelin starred restaurants Rose's Luxury, Pineapple & Pearls, and Little Pearl in Washington, D.C. Silverman won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2016.

Ashok Bajaj is a restaurateur based in Washington, DC. He is head of the Knightsbridge Restaurant Group.

James Alefantis is an American chef and restaurateur. He founded and owns two restaurants in Washington, D.C., including the pizzeria Comet Ping Pong, and American restaurant Buck's Fishing & Camping. He is also the president of the art gallery Transformer in Logan Circle, Washington, D.C. In 2012, GQ named him one of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pineapple & Pearls</span> Restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Pineapple & Pearls is a restaurant located on Barracks Row in Washington, D.C., serving a fixed-price multi-course dinner. The Washington Post gave the restaurant a four-star review, writing that Aaron Silverman, the chef and owner, "...pushes the fine-dining cause in only exquisite directions." Pineapple & Pearls was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category of the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2024.

Fabio Trabocchi is an Italian chef and restaurateur based in Washington, D.C., where his restaurant Fiola earned a Michelin Star. Before opening his own restaurants, Trabocchi ran kitchens in London, Virginia, and New York, winning a James Beard Foundation Award in 2006.

The Dabney is a restaurant located in Blagden Alley, in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Chef-owner Jeremiah Langhorne opened the restaurant in 2015, focusing on Mid-Atlantic cuisine. The Dabney was named one of the Best New Restaurants of 2016 by Bon Appétit magazine, it was a awarded a Michelin Star in 2017, and Chef Langhorne won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic in 2018.

Ann Cashion is a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur in Washington D.C.

Jeffrey Buben is a chef and restaurateur in Washington D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Onwuachi</span> American chef

Kwame Onwuachi is a Nigerian-American chef based in New York City, New York. A published author and restaurateur, he also appeared as a contestant on Top Chef in 2015. He was recognized by Food & Wine magazine, Esquire magazine, and the James Beard Foundation as "Rising Star Chef of the year" in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osteria la Spiga</span> Italian restaurant in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Osteria la Spiga is a Black-owned Italian restaurant on Seattle's Capitol Hill, in the U.S. state of Washington. Sabrina Tinsley is the chef and a co-owner with Pietro Borghesi. Established in 1998, the business specializes in foods from Northern Italy, specifically Bologna and Parma. The menu has included antipasti, pastas, soups, salads, and a tiramisu based on a family recipe. Osteria la Spiga has garnered a positive reception and has been deemed among Seattle's best Italian restaurants and Capitol Hill's best eateries. Tinsley opened nearby La Dispensa in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 du Lac, J. Freedom (August 8, 2010). "After debt and legal issues, Roberto Donna starts from scratch with Galileo III". Washington Post.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "About Roberto Donna". StarChefs. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  3. 1 2 Richman, Phyllis (January 14, 1990). "Make Room for I Matti". Washington Post.
  4. 1 2 Weinraub, Judith (September 22, 1999). "Back to the Burners". Washington Post.
  5. ↑ Burros, Marian (August 15, 2001). "In This Lab, White Coats And Truffles". New York Times.
  6. ↑ Donna, Roberto (1996). Cooking in Piedmont with Roberto Donna. Food Concepts Marketing Corp. ISBN   0965724204.
  7. 1 2 3 Carman, Tim (August 23, 2011). "The reduction of Roberto Donna". Washington Post.
  8. ↑ Fabricant, Florence (January 1, 1997). "Food Notes". New York Times.
  9. ↑ Carman, Tim (May 8, 2006). "Donna Irons Out the Kinks". Washington City Paper.
  10. ↑ Mugmon, Michael (May 8, 2016). "Donna You Forget About Me". DCist. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019.
  11. ↑ Carman, Tim (July 11, 2010). "Roberto Donna: Culinary Celebrity, Galileo Founder, Tax Cheat". Washington City Paper.
  12. ↑ Tom Sietsema; Tim Carman (September 16, 2011). "Galileo III has closed, Donna's future uncertain". Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Mariani, John (October 5, 2012). "The Best New Restaurants 2012: Chef of the Year". Esquire.
  14. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (April 9, 2013). "Roberto's 4". Washington Post.
  15. ↑ Judkis, Maura (December 16, 2013). "A first look at Alba Osteria, opening Dec. 30". Washington Post.
  16. ↑ Plumb, Tierney (2019-04-30). "Alba Osteria Served Its Last Bowl of Pasta This Week". Eater DC. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  17. ↑ "Review | Roberto Donna is doing what he does best at Roberto's in Vienna". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-10-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.