As reported in the Scoop last week, opening chef Paolo Laboa of ~FARINA~ has departed. While he doesn’t have any specific plans at this time (and would be one hell of a chef to acquire, ahem), I’ll be sure to keep you posted on where he lands—hopefully somewhere local. Yes, I was a fan.
As of today, Farina has just announced his replacements: the brother and sister cooking team of chefs Fabrizio and Serena Rebollini, also from the Ligurian region of Italy. Their family has owned restaurants since 1919, and they are reportedly already working on the launch of a line of pestos and sauces, as well as contributing to the development of fresh menus and the upcoming Farina cookbook.
Look for continued integration of regional dishes on the menu, and not just from Liguria: some new kitchen hires over the summer include Roman-born sous chef Valerio Martorelli and Sicilian-born master baker, Salvatore Di Stefano. They have been working closely with chef José Canas on the Farina menu.
Exterior of Farina. Photo courtesy of Farina.