One-Star Italian Michelin Chef Luigi Fineo Brings Puglia Cuisine to Santa Monica

Michelin star chef Luigi Fineo heads up a “worth-a-visit”  out-of-the-way restaurant kitchen at the beach in Santa Monica.    There are many reasons for his critical acclaim at the age of 32, starting with Chef Fineo earning consecutive Michelin star ratings in 2008 and 2009 as executive chef of La Botte Ristorante in Santa Monica. But his popular appeal can be summed up in one sentence from him:  “I cook what I cook what I really like to eat.”  So it is fitting that his culinary style draws inspiration from cooking with his mother & grandmother in their rustic hometown of Gioia del collie in Puglia, Italy.  His signature dishes unite old-world Italian recipes with seasonally driven ingredients.   It is further elevated by his commitment to using high-quality, locally sourced ingredients.  The chef’s personal attention to the development and execution of gluten-free pasta recipes has earned him acclaim.

Michelin star chef Luigi Fineo combines his Puglian roots with American ingredients Luigi al Teatro. The four-course tasting meal at Luigi al Teatro  ($105, adding $45 for Wagyu Beef) is a practically priced way to experience extravagant tastes of the chef’s food.  The menu amazingly changes monthly and spotlights seasonal items.

Born and raised in Southern Italy in a  small town in Puglia, Fineo graduated from the Italian Culinary Institute I.P.S.S.A.R.T in Bari, Italy.  Fineo’s early culinary career spanned Italy from south to north as sous chef at Beccofino Ristorante in Florence and Michelin-starred restaurant Shöeneck Ristorante in Falze, near Italy’s northern border.  After moving to California, Chef Fineo spent more than two years with the legendary Thomas Keller Restaurant Group  including The French Laundry in the Napa Valley and Bouchon in Beverly Hills.   He most likely learned the power of appealing popular dishes as sous chef at Enoteca Drago, Beverly Hills, owned and operated by the Drago family. There he rounded out his management skills by directing menu development, kitchen operations and mentorship of the culinary teams at several Drago  restaurants. After earning La Botte Ristorante a Michelin star, he continued his career as Head Chef at Andrea Ristorante in Newport Beach, CA  and as Executive Chef at the Angelini Restaurant, RivaBella, in Los Angeles.

If “beach” seems to play a big role here, it is because, in Chef Fineo’s words, “I used to surf a lot and I still like to be outdoors and so I live close to beach where I can see the ocean,  I can walk, I can run, I can exercise. When I am not in the kitchen, I need to be out in open space.” (the chef also operated Osteria Venice West located right on the sand on the beach until this year.)