Stella, the Italian word for “star,” is a perfect name for a new project between one of Toronto’s busiest restaurateurs and acclaimed chefs. With this amount of foodie star power, it’s no wonder the collaboration is set in Los Angeles, California.
With a shared background and connection to Italian cooking, Janet Zuccarini, CEO of Gusto 54, and former executive chef of King Street Food Company Rob Gentile are joining forces on the new restaurant, set to open this year.
After almost two full years of navigating the pandemic, Janet Zuccarini has managed to keep Gusto 54 moving forward. With the recent opening of Pai North and Ahzar in Toronto, along with L.A’s conceptual cannabis project Gusto Green, Zuccarini and her team are not letting the pandemic slow them down.
“We’re still in a terrible time period, but we’re still going. Stella will be our sixth project during the pandemic,” Zuccarini says.
After hearing about the restructuring of the King Street Food Company, Zuccarini reached out to chef Rob Gentile.
“It started because I’m a huge fan of Rob’s, and it’s not only that I was looking for talent in the kitchen. I have an affinity for Italian restaurants,” Zuccarini says.
Even though there may be some leftover baggage in Toronto, Zuccarini and her team are proud to bring Gentile into the Gusto family.
“For me, I’m looking at an incredible talent. I feel that Rob has integrity and he’s a good person, and I think things have happened within the Buca group on the financial side that I don’t think, as a chef, all of it should be put on Rob,” she says. [Bar Buca, where Gentile was executive chef, was evicted in 2020 and the company behind Buca wound up millions in debt.]
As an owner and partner in Stella, Gentile is very involved and focused on reigniting his passion as an Italian chef and really getting to know the products and the food that are available to him in California.
“Working with the raw material that is stellar, it’s all going to add up to a new platform for him. We’re definitely building the brand around Rob,” Zuccarini says.
As for Gentile, the partnership, along with its external factors — like moving to a new country — was an exciting prospect, but was also met with some trepidation.
“At that time I was stressed, nervous. Toronto was still locked down, and I was trying to figure out what to do and what path to take. I was getting opportunities from all over the place, and so I brought it up to my wife, Audrey. She is the real determining factor, and my wife was like, ‘you gotta go,’” Gentile says.
Audrey gave him the courage to take Zuccarini up on her offer and go down to L.A. “In a market where the ingredients are so lush and abundant, it was the most memorable experience as close to Italy as I could remember. When I came back, I said to Audrey, ‘This is amazing, we have to go check it out.’ So that was the beginning of it,” Gentile says.
The restaurant, an 8,000-square-foot, multi-level space in L.A.’s West Hollywood, was not part of the vision when Janet sparked a relationship with Gentile last summer. The space itself belonged to a stalwart Italian restaurant called Madeo for over 30 years.
After being given the opportunity to take over this historic space, Zuccarini and Gentile started to build the concept of Stella. Constantly chatting and collaborating on the vibe, menu and experience, the pair are finding it easy to fit the pieces together and bring Stella to life.
“I envision the restaurant alive already. I envision food coming off the pass and what kind of food we’re offering. When it’s right, all of this comes really easily and it’s exciting,” Gentile says.
With high ceilings and overhead glass windows, the first floor of Stella will showcase the open kitchen where Gentile, along with some longtime colleagues–including former Buca chef Sara Fiore–will display their talents for diners to see. The second level, which for now the team is calling the terrace or bar, is encased in glass and will be an open air, indoor/outdoor space where private function rooms as well as the restaurant’s main bar will be situated.
Seasonally inspired and based on what’s available fresh from the farmers markets, Gentile is building a seafood-driven Italian menu with a nod to his past, present and future: “There’s going to be some tableside theatrics, absolutely. There’s going to be whole fish and what’s available at the market sold by weight, fun things like that,” Gentile says.
Along with a crudo menu, pizza and cold plates, Stella will have a unique pasta program, featuring su filindeu, a rare Sardinian pasta dish Gentile has been perfecting.
“One of my dreams in life was to learn how to make this pasta that’s so rare that only a few people in the world know how to make it,” Gentile says.
He also hopes to sprinkle in some “Canadian fun,” with a dot of maple syrup and other Canadian products, like Gentile’s favourite B.C. olive oil.
“I grew up here, that’s what I know. I know Canada. I know our ingredients. So it would be really cool to establish those connections and those lines,” Gentile says.
Stella’s menu will also see nods to Gentile’s upbringing, with memorable dishes like nodini, Buca’s beloved bread knots, and legendary tableside branzino.
“A lot of those dishes I did in the past were inspired by my family, so they’re going to pop up as the seasons change and things become available,” Gentile says.
Stella, which is set to open later in the year, is a culmination of hard work and what the partners might call fate. For Gentile, reinvigorated passion and a clean slate are empowering him to focus in and build something truly special.
“I’m just going to follow my heart and follow my passion — what inspires me and what tastes good and what I think makes a great restaurant experience,” Gentile says. “The stars have aligned.”