Born in the Piedmont region of Italy, Roberto Donna fervently pursues his mission of promoting authentic Italian cuisine. A James Beard Award winning chef and restaurateur in Washington, D.C., Donna is committed to introducing others to the real flavors of Italy, which he provides in his six restaurants.
Donna arrived in D.C. at age 19 after having expanded his culinary horizons by working in kitchens across England, France and Switzerland. Four years later, in 1984, he opened Galileo and gained a strong following. With restaurants ranging in style from the formal Galileo to the "all you can eat" Il Radicchio, Donna has taken into consideration the full range of consumers' culinary tastes.
Donna closed Galileo, Laboratorio, Osteria and the Grill in Fall 2006 for renovations and will re-open in late 2007. In Fall 2006, Donna opened Bebo Trattoria da Roberto Donna, serving casual Italian cuisine.
Donna's efforts have received worldwide attention and recognition. Wine Spectator has called Galileo one of the "10 Best Italian Restaurants in America," and the magazine has continuously presented Chef Donna with its Grand Award of Excellence for Galileo's extensive wine cellar since 1997. In 1996, Galileo was named one of the 20 finest Italian restaurants in the world by the President of Italy, and Donna published his first cookbook, "Cooking in Piedmont with Roberto Donna."
Additional recognitions include the 1996 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic, the induction of Galileo into the Nation's Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame and the DiRoNa (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) Award from 1993 to the present. In 2002, Chef Donna was presented The First Annual Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners Award, which is presented to chefs worldwide for their efforts to promote authentic Italian cuisine.
Nationally, Donna is a former spokesperson for Barilla Pasta and is currently the vice-chairman of the Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani, a national organization with the goal of promoting authentic Italian food culture in the United States. Locally, he is an active supporter of the DC Central Kitchen and American Institute of Wine & Food. He has also been featured on The Food Network's "Iron Chef America," The Today Show during 2006 Olympics held in Torino, Italy and on Julia Child's program, "In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs."