Top US pizzaiolo eyes new Bay Area restaurant

Celebrated restaurateur and pizzaiolo Chris Bianco plans to debut his first Bay Area restaurant this fall.  

Bianco, a James Beard recipient and Netflix “Chef’s Table: Pizza” alum, is expected to open a trattoria at Farm restaurant, which is at Carneros Resort and Spa in Napa. Once renovations at the space are complete, Farm will keep its name but transform into the new restaurant concept.

“I want to do things in places that I love spending time in, and Napa is one of those places,” Bianco said in a statement shared with SFGATE. “I look forward to this opportunity and elevating an already special project in an already special part of the world.”

The upcoming project was inspired by Bianco’s Phoenix restaurant Tratto, which serves Italian dishes with a seasonal focus. The same idea will continue at Farm, especially with California’s bountiful selection of fresh produce.

Bianco, who spoke with the Robb Report, shared that the Napa restaurant will resemble the menu at Tratto but with dishes prepared with regional produce. Upcoming dishes might range from pork chops served with Santa Rosa plums to whole grain pizzette with local grapes, the Robb Report wrote.  

While Bianco is renowned for his pizza, customers won’t find pies on the Farm menu — also a common thread to Tratto. Instead, they’ll have better luck grabbing a slice at the Carneros Resort’s general store, Market, which Bianco’s team will also manage. He told the Robb Report that the pizzas he plans to sell at Market will likely differ from pies sold at his Pizzeria Bianco locations, but he did not share additional details. 

Bianco opened his namesake restaurant Pizzeria Bianco 35 years ago in Phoenix before eventually opening his first California outpost in Los Angeles last year.