Angie Rito
Angie Rito is the chef and co-owner of beloved Italian-American restaurants Don Angie and San Sabino in New York City’s West Village.
Growing up in and around her family’s Italian bakery in Cleveland, Angie Rito’s passion for Italian-American culture, cuisine, and cooking grew naturally from a young age. After moving to New York City in 2007, Angie worked her way through a number of restaurants including Park Avenue Seasons, The Hurricane Club, Quality Meats and Torrisi Italian Specialties. It was at Park Avenue Seasons that she met her future husband and business partner, Scott Tacinelli. The two went on to helm the kitchen at Quality Italian, where they invented the cult-favorite “Chicken Parm Pizza,” and later opened the acclaimed “reverse speakeasy” restaurant dinnertable, hidden behind East Village bar The Garrett.
In 2018, they fulfilled their dream of opening their own special neighborhood spot with Don Angie, an intimate restaurant serving up a modern ode to Italian-American cuisine. The restaurant quickly received tremendous critical acclaim, including a 2-star review from The New York Times and inclusion on Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America list in 2018. Angie and Scott became known for boldly unexpected dishes that challenge your perception of traditional Italian-American cooking, earning them a nomination for Best Chef: New York City and New York State by the James Beard Foundation in both 2019 and 2020, respectively, and Outstanding Chef 2022. Don Angie was also awarded a Michelin star in 2021 and 2022, and has been nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in 2025.
In 2021, Angie and Scott authored their first cookbook, Italian American, published by Clarkson Potter. In 2024, Angie and Scott opened their second restaurant, San Sabino, just next door from Don Angie, offering their signature, playfully unexpected spin on Italian cuisine, with a bold, coastal American seafood focus.
Today, Angie and Scott live in DUMBO, Brooklyn with their son Roman. In her spare time, Angie enjoys traveling with her family, visiting friends’ new restaurants and developing new recipes for her restaurants.
Scott Tacinelli
Scott Tacinelli is the chef and co-owner of beloved Italian-American restaurants Don Angie and San Sabino in New York City’s West Village.
Growing up in an Italian-American family in Matawan, New Jersey around a family of home cooks, Scott developed a deep interest in cooking and hospitality at an early age. But it wasn’t until he had spent several years feeling unfulfilled in a corporate advertising job, that he was lured into the industry after being introduced to New York City’s culinary gems during business dinners and outings. He decided to enroll at The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) full time in 2008, a path that would eventually lead him to working at Park Avenue seasons, where he first met his future wife and business partner, Angie Rito. The two went on to helm the kitchen at Quality Italian, where they invented the cult-favorite “Chicken Parm Pizza,” and later opened the acclaimed “reverse speakeasy” restaurant dinnertable, hidden behind East Village bar The Garrett.
In 2018, they fulfilled their dream of opening their own special neighborhood spot with Don Angie, an intimate restaurant serving up a modern ode to Italian-American cuisine. The restaurant quickly received tremendous critical acclaim, including a 2-star review from The New York Times and inclusion on Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America list in 2018. Angie and Scott became known for boldly unexpected dishes that challenge your perception of traditional Italian-American cooking, earning them a nomination for Best Chef: New York City and New York State by the James Beard Foundation in both 2019 and 2020, respectively, and Outstanding Chef 2022. Don Angie was also awarded a Michelin star in 2021 and 2022, and has been nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in 2025.
In 2021, Angie and Scott authored their first cookbook, Italian American, published by Clarkson Potter. In 2024, Angie and Scott opened their second restaurant San Sabino, just next door from Don Angie, offering their signature, playfully unexpected spin on Italian cuisine, with a bold, coastal American seafood focus.
Today, Scott and Angie live in DUMBO, Brooklyn with their son Roman. In his spare time, Scott enjoys traveling with his family, trying new restaurants and going to as many Phish shows as he can (he estimates over 75 concerts and counting).
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