Roberto Donna

Roberto Donna is an Italian chef and restaurateur in Washington D.C.

Donna was born in Turin, Italy, where he enrolled in culinary school at the age of 13.[1] He came to the United States at the age of 19, working in an Italian restaurant on K Street in Washington, D.C.[1][2]

In 1984, Donna opened Galileo in Dupont Circle, which was an immediate success.[1] The restaurant only seated 50, and in the early days, even Vice-President George H. W. Bush could not secure a last-minute reservation.[3] Donna and his partner Savino Recine opened more casual trattorias, Primi Piatti, and then I Matti, serving pizza and pasta.[3] By the end of the 1990s, Donna's empire grew to 12 restaurants, including Il Radicchio, Pesce, and Barolo.[1][4] In 1999, he expanded Galileo into a neighboring space and opened a restaurant-within-a-restaurant, Il Laboratorio del Galileo, serving multi-course meals in a small (25-30 seats) dining room, with a glass-walled "showcase" kitchen.[4][5]

Donna published a cookbook, Cooking in Piedmont, in 1996.[2][6]

Donna won the 1996 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.[2][7] The next year, Galileo was named one of the "10 Best Italian Restaurants in America" by Wine Spectator.[2][7] The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington recognized Donna as the "Chef of the Year" in 1990, and the "Restaurateur of the Year" in 1995.[2] Donna was invited to Rome in 1996 to receive the Insegna del Ristorante Italiano, awarded by the Italian Government in recognition of serving the best authentic Italian food outside Italy.[2][8]

In 2005, Donna competed on Iron Chef America, losing to Masaharu Morimoto after failing to plate a sufficient number of dishes.[9] He requested a rematch and bested Morimoto in 2006.[10]

In 2004, Donna's company declared bankruptcy and his restaurants began to close; Galileo closed in 2006, and he had no restaurants to his name when Bebo Trattoria closed in 2009.[1] Donna was prosecuted for failing to pay taxes at Bebo, and in 2010, Donna pled guilty to felony embezzlement, receiving a five-year suspended sentence on condition of probation, good behavior, and restitution.[1][11] Donna and his business partners still faced several civil lawsuits when he returned to the kitchen with the opening of Galileo III in October 2010.[1][7] The restaurant closed abruptly after less than one year.[12]

In 2012, Donna opened Al Dente in Embassy Row, and Esquire magazine named him its "Chef of the Year."[13] In February 2013, a four-seat counter, Roberto's 4, opened within Al Dente.[14] At the end of 2013, Donna opened a second restaurant, Alba Osteria, in Mount Vernon Triangle.[15] Alba Osteria closed in 2019, citing rent disagreements with its landlord.[16]

In February, 2022, Roberto’s opened in Vienna, Virginia, with Donna as chef, doing what he does best. The restaurant is solely owned by Donna’s wife, Nancy Sabbagh.[17]