Much like how the holiday season his sneaking up on us, it's hard to believe that Vancouver's Italian restaurant Savio Volpe, located in the Fraserhood neighbourhood, is already three years old.
The restaurant--from former L'Abattoir partner, Paul Grunberg and acclaimed interior designer, Craig Stanghetta--is still more or less as busy today as it was the day it opened as it heads into its third year with a significant change of leadership in the kitchen: a new executive chef. Melanie Witt has been with Savio since day one, helping to open the restaurant where she started out as a pasta cook, and evolved to the role of sous chef and into chef de cuisine over the years. Now, she is excited to steer the Italian restaurant in her culinary direction.
"I am thrilled to step into the role of executive chef at Osteria Savio Volpe," says Melanie. "It has been an incredible journey so far. The team has become a second family to me, and it's amazing to see the food we prepare being so well received by guests and critics. I am really looking forward to helming the kitchen as the restaurant continues to grow and evolve."
Witt's new seasonal menu headed into winter, her first since leading the kitchen, offers up dishes like taglierini in a lamb offal ragu; spaghetti all'arrabbiata (read spicy tomato sauce) with Dungeness crab and herb pangratto (a bread crumb, herb and nut mixture); and whole roasted yellowbelly flounder in brown butter with lemon and capers.
Naturally, the Savio Volpe usual suspects such as the rosemary and lemon grilled chicken will remain on the menu. The restaurant owners opened Pepino's Spaghetti House earlier this year and, more recently, Caffè La Tanna next door.
