Entrepreneur Hakan Ilhan owns a total of 21 successful
fast casual eateries and gourmet markets in the Washington area including Gelato
Dolce Vita in Georgetown, three Cafe Cantinas, three Einstein Bros. Bagels
shops, nine Pizza Autenticas, City Wok at Dulles and the National Airport Grill.
The Turkish native, who was educated in London before relocating to the USA in
1990, is now turning his sights to open a sleek, modern Italian restaurant in
his own neighborhood of Northwest DC, La Forchetta at 3201 New Mexico
Avenue, 20016. He engaged designer friend Matt Norris, of Norris Design in
Atlanta, to create a Ferrari-like interior, with vibrant colors, an exhibition
kitchen with seating for 20, and a pizza station with seating for 12 guests
along with an inviting 12-seat bar.
La Forchetta is scheduled to open in late
March/early April, 2012 and Ilhan has tapped Roberto Donna as executive chef of
the new restaurant. Donna’s responsibilities include developing the menu and
doing what he does best, cooking while Hakan Ilhan will manage all the business
operations of the 116-seat restaurant, which will also have outdoor patio
seating for 30 guests in the warmer months of the year.
Guests can anticipate Donna’s fresh house-made
pasta, risotto, fresh fish and meat offerings along with Italian desserts and a
selection of gelato. La Forchetta will also showcase Neapolitan pizza from the
restaurant’s centerpiece oven, and will open for lunch, dinner and weekend
brunch on both Saturday and Sunday.
“I was searching for several months for the right
chef who is a master at Italian cooking and Roberto Donna came to mind. I
learned he was in Arizona and would like to return to Washington so this works
out well for opening La Forchetta,” says Hakan Ilhan. “I will entrust Roberto
with developing the perfect menu for the restaurant and training the culinary
team to run the kitchen. I will do what I do best, running the business
operations. We plan on La Forchetta being a nice, affordably priced addition to
the community, appealing to the neighborhood and the universities that are in
close proximity.”
“Scottsdale, Arizona was not a good fit for my family,” say
Roberto Donna. “It is a personal decision and a difficult one to leave the Bice
Group, which is a terrific company. Roberto Ruggeri is a great restaurateur and
I admire him greatly, but I long to return to DC. I left after making some bad
decisions that have regrettable consequences for which I am very sorry. I am
pleased to be coming back to the city that really gave me my start with the
opening of my first restaurant, Galileo, to cook for people who appreciate my
food.”
Born in the Piedmont region of Italy, Roberto Donna arrived in
Washington, DC at the age of 19 from his native Torino and in October, 1984, he
opened Galileo and gained a strong following. The addition of his Laboratorio
and Osteria has made Chef Donna's restaurant a destination for those seeking the
best in Italian cuisine. He won the James Beard Award for “Best
Chef/Mid-Atlantic Region” in 1996 and was also inducted into “The Fine Dining
Hall of Fame, the Nation's Restaurant News, that same year. In 1997 he
published his first cookbook, Cooking in Piedmont. Then in 2001, Donna
won the “Immigrant Achievement Award” from The American Immigration Law
Foundation. Roberto has been an active supporter of the DC Central Kitchen, the
American Institute of Wine & Food, Share Our Strength and The James Beard
Foundation, as well as numerous other charitable organizations. He won “Chef of
the Year” 2004 and in 1990 from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan
Washington.
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