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

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, where he enrolled in culinary school at the age of 13. He came to the

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at the age of 19, working in an Italian restaurant on K Street in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1984, Donna opened ''Galileo'' in Dupont Circle, which was an immediate success. The restaurant only seated 50, and in the early days, even Vice-President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

could not secure a last-minute reservation. Donna and his partner Savino Recine opened more casual trattorias, ''Primi Piatti'', and then ''I Matti'', serving pizza and pasta. By the end of the 1990s, Donna's empire grew to 12 restaurants, including ''Il Radicchio'', ''Pesce'', and ''Barolo''. 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. Donna published a cookbook, ''Cooking in Piedmont'', in 1996. Donna won the 1996 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. The next year, ''Galileo'' was named one of the "10 Best Italian Restaurants in America" by ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

''. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington recognized Donna as the "Chef of the Year" in 1990, and the "Restaurateur of the Year" in 1995. 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. In 2005, Donna competed on

Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, whi ...

, losing to Masaharu Morimoto after failing to plate a sufficient number of dishes. He requested a rematch and bested Morimoto in 2006. 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. 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. 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. The restaurant closed abruptly after less than one year. In 2012, Donna opened ''Al Dente'' in

Embassy Row Embassy Row is the informal name for a section of Northwest Washington, D.C. with a high concentration of embassies, diplomatic missions, and diplomatic residences. It spans Massachusetts Avenue N.W. between 18th and 35th street, bounded by ...

, and ''Esquire'' magazine named him its "Chef of the Year." In February 2013, a four-seat counter, ''Roberto's 4'', opened within ''Al Dente''. At the end of 2013, Donna opened a second restaurant, ''Alba Osteria'', in

Mount Vernon Triangle Mount Vernon Triangle is a neighborhood and community improvement district in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Originally a working-class neighborhood established in the 19th century, present-day Mount Vernon Triangle experienced a decl ...

. Alba Osteria closed in 2019, citing rent disagreements with its landlord. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donna, Roberto 1961 births Living people Italian emigrants to the United States Italian chefs James Beard Foundation Award winners