Chef De Cuisine
Justin was raised in an Italian-American family where his passion for food was born helping his mother cook at home and at her diner in Western Connecticut. This enthusiasm brought him to the California School of Culinary Arts, where he graduated with honors before returning to the East Coast to start his culinary career in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Harvest Restaurant in Harvard Square under chef Eric Brennan. Where he started as an extern and quickly worked his way up to sous chef. While under Eric Brennan, Justin has had the opportunity to work at Excelsior as sous chef for three years before taking his career to the next level as executive sous chef at Sorellina. Under Chef Robert Jean’s guidance, he was able to create contemporary Italian-Mediterranean cuisine that highlighted his passion for using fresh local ingredients in simply prepared dishes, receiving recognition in Improper Bostonian’s “Best of 2008” and Boston Magazines “50 Best Restaurants” (2010 and 2011). In the fall of 2012, the Aquitaine Group opened Cinquecento where Justin leads the culinary team as Chef de Cuisine.