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Photo: courtesy
of Max
de Cherchi and Marisa
Acocella Marchetto
Born in Trento and raised in Florence, veteran chef and restaurateur
Silvano Marchetto has owned and operated Manhattan’s Da
Silvano Restaurant for over three decades, playing a
key role in the introduction to and development of Northern
Italian cuisine in the United States. Silvano studied cooking
in Florence before going on to train hands-on in many top
restaurants in Italy, Switzerland, and France.
He moved to America in 1968 where he worked as a waiter and
cook at some Greenwich Village restaurants before going out
on his own as both owner and chef of the eponymous Da
Silvano Restaurant on May 1, 1975. The restaurant was
one of the first of its kind to cross the Atlantic, bringing
true, simple Tuscan food to America. Da Silvano has become
an iconic culinary and social destination in New York, and
remains a top choice for both Manhattan locals and visitors
from around the world who come to the restaurant for great
food, great service, and a chance to be greeted and entertained
by Silvano himself. A favorite VIP and celebrity destination,
the restaurant is often featured in the pages of glossy magazines
and newspapers both in the States and internationally. In
the thirty-three years (and counting) that Silvano has been
at the helm of his restaurant, he has received many culinary
and wine awards from various international organizations
and food and wine producers. Scuderia is his first new venture
working together with his daughter Leyla and his partners
Fabrizio Sotti and Alessandro Bandini.
Guitarist, music producer and entrepreneur Fabrizio Sotti
was born in Padova, Italy in 1975. Starting first with
classical piano lessons at age five, he quickly found
his own niche, and by age nine had not only changed instruments,
but also more significantly changed musical genres. The
classically prepared piano prodigy had become an awe
struck jazz guitarist enthusiast whose guiding lights
were no longer Bach and Chopin but Jimi Hendrix and Wes
Montgomery.
At age sixteen Fabrizio moved to New York City to chase
his dream to become one the best guitarists in the world.
Since then he has played and recorded with legendary
jazz figures including Cassandra Wilson, Al Foster, Randy
Brecker, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove, Eddie Henderson,
Mino Cinelu, George Coleman, Wallace Roney, John Patitucci,
George Garzone, Jeff “Tain” Watts. Fabrizio
has recorded many albums as a leader, his last critically
acclaimed release, “Through My Eyes” is considered
a solo guitar masterpiece. As a music producer and songwriter,
he has worked with the likes of Tupac, Foxy Brown, Dead
Prez, Q Tip, Ghostface, Method Man, Killah Priest, W.Houston,
J.Lo, and Rihanna. Fabrizio is the CEO of Sotti Records
LLC, co-owner of Dal
Toro/Lamborghini Las Vegas at the Palazzo Hotel,
and now a partner in Scuderia.
Born and raised in Florence, Italy, Alessandro has
experience working both in the kitchens and dining
rooms of restaurants around the world, starting out
at Lo Strettoio in Florence, and then moving on to
train in restaurants in Spain, New Jersey, and Bermuda
before moving to New York. In 1997 he accepted a
position at family friend Silvano Marchetto’s
restaurant Da Silvano, where he has been for the
past decade, working his way up from waiter to General
Manager. In 2003, he received a Viticulture & Vinification
Certificate from the American Sommelier Association,
and is a member of the National Restaurant Association,
Slow Flood USA, and a member of his local Community
Supported Agriculture program operated by Norwich
Farms in upstate New York. Scuderia is his first
venture acting as both General Manager and an owner
in a restaurant.
Raised in the heart of the restaurant business
in Manhattan, Leyla always had a penchant for
working within the hospitality industry. After
graduating from Georgetown University, she went
on to work for several luxury boutique PR firms
and top hotels and restaurants in New York while
working with her father Silvano as PR and marketing
consultant for Da
Silvano. She then moved west to Los Angeles
for several years where she worked on hotel and
entertainment projects with event producer and
restaurateur Jeffrey Best. Leyla returned to
New York in 2008 to become an owner in Scuderia,
her first venture as a bona fide “restaurantress.”
Marisa
Acocella Marchetto, cartoonist, contributes to The
New Yorker and Glamour Magazines, where her cartoon GLAMOUR
GIRLS runs monthly. Her graphic memoir Cancer
Vixen (Knopf) has been optioned by Working Title
for Cate Blanchett. She is Silvano's wife and Leyla's Stepmother.
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