A Classic Roman Feast with Chef Jonathan Benno

New York City has long been home to chef Jonathan Benno. Although the Connecticut native cut his chops in iconic California kitchens Aqua and The French Laundry, he is best-known for helming two of Manhattan’s most elite white-tablecloth restaurants: Per Se and Lincoln.

After such a distinguished career, Benno easily could have rested on his laurels. Instead, the fine-dining luminary recently gathered an all-star team to launch a trio of new restaurants in the city's central NoMad neighborhood: Leonelli Taberna, Leonelli Focacceria-Pasticceria, and the eponymous Benno. Lincoln alum Ben Ciancioso leads the Leonelli kitchen as chef de cuisine; talented bread-baker Lisa Kalemkiarian runs the Focacceria and provides loaves for all three restaurants; and pastry chef Lindsey Bittner, who has worked at Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin, and Gramercy Tavern, heads up the sweets program, turning out elevated classic Italian treats that would make your nonna pale.

Last week, the whole team threw one heck of a dinner party in the SAVEUR test kitchen.