Chef Franco Gallo grew up in a small town in Italy by the Adriatic Sea in Brindisi, where he got his first taste of the restaurant business doing every job imaginable alongside many Italian Chefs in his hometown. He also served in the Italian Army and was trained in culinary art to serve the high ranking officer staff. He met his wife in the Navy, stationed in Italy where they met and he followed here here. His most recent experience was being the Head Chef at the Dayton Bicycle Club for 15 years. Last summer the stars aligned with the opportunity to open Franco the Foodie, where he is the now the owner and Chef, creating a unique rotating menu every week and catering for parties and events. His family is all involved in the business with his wife and one daughter works in the kitchen, while his other daughter works the front of the house.
What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
Garlic is one of my favorite ingredients. It is simple, flavorful and fragrant, adding a lot too many dishes. After all, I am 100 percent Italian, born and raised in Italy. They put garlic in our pacifiers.
What ingredient do you dread?
I don’t dread any ingredient in particular, although I am not a fan of peeling beets, although I do love to eat them.
What’s your favorite dish to make?
My favorite dish to make is homemade pasta. To me there is nothing better than making homemade pasta. I find it therapeutic and the end result is pure delicious in a variety of sauces and options. It also takes me back to my childhood when I first was introduced to making pasta with my mother and grandmother in Italy.
What’s your favorite pig out food?
Fried calamari and shrimp, with squeeze of lemon on top and fresh parsley. I could eat that all day long. Growing up by the Adriatic Sea in Italy it was a common street food that always brings me back home.
What restaurant, other than your own, do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?
Lily’s Bistro and Meadowlark are 2 of my favorite restaurants. I like how they utilize seasonal fresh ingredients, and the dishes are often creative and enjoyable.
What’s your best advice for home chefs?
Simplicity goes a long way. Don’t overdo it and think that adding too many ingredients makes things better. Less is often more when it comes to cooking. And YouTube can often be your best friend when learning how to use new ingredients or trying a new recipe.
If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?
My mother, who lives in Italy and I don’t get to see her very often. My father, who passed away several years ago. My grandmother, who taught me a lot about cooking. And my wife, who tells me she is my biggest fan, so I better include her so she doesn’t divorce me.
Who do you look up to in the industry and why?
My brother Tony, who is a Chef in Italy. He has a reputation for making some amazing food and pizza dough in Brindisi, where we grew up. He recently came to visit and spent time working with me and showing me some tips and cooking techniques. One thing that I learned a long time ago is that a Chef never stops learning and I appreciated him sharing his knowledge with me.
What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off?
I don’t have many days off, but when I get a chance to relax I like to watch a movie, or play online nerdy games, such as World of Warcraft.
Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story:
Approximately 6 months ago I had the opportunity to open Franco the Foodie. It has been a dream of mine for many years to have my own restaurant. You could call this my lucky break, as everything aligned at the right place at the right time. I have greatly enjoyed the challenge and look forward to growing the business, also recognizing it is not always easy. But it is extremely satisfying getting to know the local customers and welcoming them like family.
New Carlisle, OH,
Reservations available for groups
Chef Summer Key is an American Culinary Federation award-winning certified chef. She started culinary school at Sinclair and after years of learning and honing her skills, and working with renowned chefs, she started her own catering business, 
What ingredient do you dread?
Well if you know me at all then you already know this answer. Chef Anne Kearney and Anthony Head. I love them very much.They both have done so much for me in different ways. Chef Head taught me in school to do more, better, faster. A good cook, cooks. A better cook reads and the best cooks write. He pushed me to join our competition team in culinary school at Sinclair. I won an American Culinary Federation bronze metal for the state of Ohio and became captain then coach. He introduced me to the top chefs in our city doing events for them with him and other students. Holding me accountable for my work still to this day, never letting me give up.
Even though I never get a full day off I always make time for my son. He has to deal with my schedule so I make sure we go on ‘”adventures” a few times a week. Normally something fun outdoors. Metro Parking it up. Young’s dairy, putt putt golf, swimming and movies/drive in theaters are a few. We love the $6 tuesday shows at The Green
Meet Executive Chef Gavin St. Denis!
1.What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
6. What’s your best advice for home chefs?
professionals to assist by quickly and efficiently bulk preparing nutritious food.
What’s your favorite dish to make? A dish I call Rotolino. It was created by my mentor, Chef Dennis McCarthy, and passed along to me. I use it as a teaching technique (similar to foie gras torchon) with young chefs and everyone gets to enjoy the result. It consists of 4 cheeses, 3 pestos, and pinenuts, rolled up to make a pinwheel that screams Italian on an American table.
What restaurant, other than your own, do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley? There are many wonderful places to dine in our region to carve out just one. I tend to find myself in a booth at any ma and pop kitchen I come across, looking for that genuine heartfelt creation. Yet to put a spotlight on the best we have around, I have enjoyed experiencing what Chef Wiley has done at her restaurants over the years, along many of the other greats that have come and gone, but truly the props go out to all of those independents getting up everyday and cooking their hearts out.
y because he would never stop laughing, and that would be an entertaining evening with great food!
Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story: Many years ago, I was hired as a new corporate chef for an independent dining group in downtown Columbus. Two weeks into my tenure was Easter Sunday. I spent the week prepping and setting up the usual. I was all ready to go. Turns out, the night before was graduation day for OSU, and I had no idea of the amount of people we would serve, since I was from out of town. Needless to say, I ended up using much of my Easter prep to complete dinner service that night. After the shift ended, myself, my sous chef and her wife (also a cook) stayed through the night and into the next day restocking the menu. That Easter we served over 800 guests and no one had any idea I was on a 32 hour straight shift to make it happen. That was the longest shift of my career.
Whitted has operated 
Jorge Guzman
Susie and Iván Núñez have developed a comfortable blend of international culinary styles that has evolved into the distinctive Casa Núñez flavor. Iván learned the traditional cooking of his native Puerto Rico from his grandmother and his great-aunt. As a young man, he not only owned a successful Mexican restaurant called “Paso Real” in New Mexico, but also placed third in the prestigious Chilympiad in San Marcos, Texas. He later married Susie in Gibraltar and the pair made their first home together in Madrid, Spain.
What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
Aimee Plesa is a 34 year industry professional. She started her culinary career at the age of 14 at the K&W in Springboro before moving on to her first management position at Hot Sam’s in the Dayton Mall and eventually the executive chef at Ollie’s Place, kitchen manager at Bargos Grill & Tap and the executive chef at 
What’s your favorite dish to make?
What’s your best advice for home chefs?
Who do you look up to in the industry and why?
Chef Xtine Brean is well known within the Miami Valley vegan circle. She’s been cooking up some amazing plant-based meal for years, first out of a pop up truck at various festivals, then from her food truck, the
Hours: 
Justin Mohler went to culinary school at Sullivan University and has been a pastry-chef in the Dayton area for the better part of twenty years, working at Blue Moon, Christopher’s Restaurant and Olive- An Urban Dive. Hoping to open in August, 
What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?
What restaurant, other than your own, do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?
Katy Fischer is originally from Urbana, Ohio and always knew she wanted to become a chef from an early age. She studied at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh. After graduating, she traveled the US working in many five star resorts polishing her talents in the kitchen. One of her favorite places was Savannah, Georgia where she worked under a French Chef who taught her the art of Southern cuisine.
What’s your favorite dish to make?
If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?
Cincinnati native and University of Cincinnati alumna, Stephanie Schifrin Salas was born to be a chef. Early on, while watching PBS’s original celebrity chef, Julia Child, Stephanie was enthralled with all things cooking. Her junior high classmates began referring to her as “Chef Steph” well before her graduation from Queen City Culinary Academy and the Culinary Institute of America.
Virgin islands. His family’s love for food and fellowship as well as their passion for clean living became the foundation and inspiration for his culinary career. Chef Jansen has been in the restaurant industry for over 25 years. Throughout the years, he’s had the privilege of working with some wonderfully talented and extremely creative chefs , Dan Eule , Ricardo Heridia, and Anne Kearney, to name a few. Jansen has been the executive chef at Lily’s Bistro in the Oregon district since January where they have always maintained a very close relationship with the local farming community. he’s been helping to grow their team’s love for creative, fun, and seasonally-driven menus that they change each and every day.
There’s a new face in the kitchen at the Dayton Convention Center, Chef Aaron Watson. Technically he’s employed by Spectra by Comcast Spectacor, who handles the food service for the Center.
