I sincerely want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Vaccarella for showing me the wonders of Italian cuisine. As a child I would visit their small but stacked to the ceiling grocery store. There was always something new and exciting to discover with the Vaccarellas as my guides. Even now I can close my eyes and smell the exotic aromas of their world.
When I was 15 our family moved from McComb, Miss. to South San Fransisco. Most of my friends were Italian and it was great to have dinner at their homes. I am very grateful to Mrs. Cuneo, Mrs. Garabaldi and all the other gracious and caring mothers who shared their culinary heritage with me. Gnocchi, pasta and ossobucco were just the beginning of my love affair with Italian cuisine.
Years later I had a major change of occupation. By chance I was helping a friend build a new restaurant at San Fransisco's Pier 39 and after the construction was done I was hired to work in the kitchen to help get them started. Well, from that eventful first day I was hooked. I loved it! It was exciting and rewarding even with all of its frustrations. After 6 months as saute cook I was lucky to meet a man named Salvatore. He was the owner and chef of a local Italian Ristorante. He hired me on as saute cook after I begged him to teach me Italian cuisine. What a great experience! After 6 months with Sal I became saute cook at the Canlis Room in San Fransisco's Fairmont Hotel. I did that for 2 years, but the best was yet to come. Paul Bermani, the Executive chef at Doro's (4 stars), hired me as saute cook and butcher. I was very proud to work with him for the next 3 years and during that time Paul taught me more than just recipes -- he showed me how Italian cooking is actually a lifestyle.
My wife, Sanae and I wanted to buy a home in the Bay area but the costs were too high. She had graduated from Portland State and had friends that she wanted to visit. In July 1985 we spent a 2 week vacation in Portland and fell in love with the town. We rented a duplex in the S.E. and went back to San Fransisco to pack our bags.
In September I was hired as Chef de Partie at the new Riverplace Hotel. During the next 4 years I was Chef de Cuisine and Executive Sous Chef under Executive Chef Phil Costner. It was great learning the hotel business from Phil. He was an excellent teacher and a good friend.
After the Riverplace Hotel I was Sous Chef at McCormick's Fish House in Beaverton for the next 15 months. It was another good building block for my career but I wanted to do something on my own with my Italian background so I bought a restaurant. Gulp! What a great and terrifying experience. daVincis was born on November 7, 1991. I wanted to offer to the new patrons of daVincis all the wonderful dining experiences I've had.
We have had 4 tours of Italy's regional cuisine. I condensed the 20 regions into 15 special menus and made them available for 2 weeks at a time. In each region's menu we spotlighted their special dishes, wines and desserts.
My education will never stop. We've been to Italy the last 4 summers and plan to return soon I hope I will always be true to all my friends and teachers in sharing the wonders of Italian cuisine.
Patrizio (Patrick)
Patrick believes in consistency. Serving his clients thier favorite dishes with no variation from what brought them back the second time keeps them coming back again and again. |
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