Jump to content

Roberto Donna Named 2012 Esquire "Chef of the Year" by John Mariani


zoramargolis

Recommended Posts

The specific quote in announcing Roberto as Chef of the Year in America and Al Dente as one of the Best New Restaurants:

And, after four decades, Roberto Donna of Al Dente in Washington, DC, proves himself still to be the best Italian chef in America.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does John Mariani still have a job? There is no doubt that Roberto Donna is a fabulous chef, but dropping a line like "..habit of leaving before the paint dries..." without any context is outrageous.

ETA - I am not saying that Chef Donna is undeserving (although it's a stretch). He certainly is one of the top 3 Italian Chefs in this city, and probably one of the top 30 working in the US today. And I am happy that he is working, and would happily spend my money in an establishment where he had no ownership interest. He has to work to pay back those to whom he is who he is indebted. My point was the quote above comes off as whimsical, when the reasons for those restaurant closings was anything but.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does John Mariani still have a job? There is no doubt that Roberto Donna is a fabulous chef, but dropping a line like "..habit of leaving before the paint dries..." without any context is outrageous.

I was more put off by the line about how he's "working his pants off". . . :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to be picky, but "Chef of the Year" is a very different thing from "Best Chef in America."

You are right--it was a "headline shortcut" that I wasn't crazy about immediately after I put it up, but once I had, I couldn't go back and change it. The moderator of this forum is welcome to fix it if he wishes to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does John Mariani still have a job? There is no doubt that Roberto Donna is a fabulous chef, but dropping a line like "..habit of leaving before the paint dries..." without any context is outrageous.

ETA - I am not saying that Chef Donna is undeserving (although it's a stretch). He certainly is one of the top 3 Italian Chefs in this city, and probably one of the top 30 working in the US today. And I am happy that he is working, and would happily spend my money in an establishment where he had no ownership interest. He has to work to pay back those to whom he is who he is indebted. My point was the quote above comes off as whimsical, when the reasons for those restaurant closings was anything but.

And lets hope that he is paying those he owes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...