world-class hospitality

Fabio Trabocchi

Fabio Trabocchi is an internationally acclaimed chef and restaurateur based in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and owner of Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants, home to multiple award-winning restaurants in the U.S.

Trabocchi grew up in Le Marche, a beautiful region of Italy that lies on the Adriatic Coast. His love for food was inspired by his father, a passionate farmer and gardener, who grew most of the food that the family ate. Chef Fabio pursued his formal culinary education at the Istituto Alberghiero Panzine in Senigallia, Italy before working in numerous restaurants around the world including London, multiple cities in Spain, Moscow, Washington, D.C., and New York. 

In 2011, Trabocchi opened his flagship restaurant Fiola in downtown D.C., which earned its first MICHELIN star in 2018 and its fifth consecutive star in 2022. Since 2011, Trabocchi has focused on expanding Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants to become one of the preeminent restaurant groups in the world. It currently includes the Italian inspired Fiola, Fiola Mare, and Sfoglina Pasta Houses in the D.C. metro’s downtown, Van Ness, and Arlington, VA neighborhoods. His Del Mar restaurant is a celebration of Spanish seafood cuisine in D.C.’s Wharf district. Fiolina Pasta House, inspired by Sfoglina, is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2023 in Boca Raton, FL, along with Del Mar Boston.  

Learn more about Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants.

chef antonio mermolia, EXECUTIVE CHEF

Chef Antonio Mermolia made his mark in the U.S. restaurant industry with his authentic Southern Italian food at the stunning Le Sirenuse and Mare restaurants at the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Miami. Prior to his arrival in Miami, he worked in New York as a chef at Il Punto and at two-Michelin star Chef Davide Scabin’s restaurant Mulino a Vino, before opening Capatosta in the Flatiron District.  

 Born and raised in Southern Italy, Chef Mermolia is a champion of Mediterranean coastal cuisine and is known for highlighting the integrity of the best ingredients available served in their purest form. He developed his palate for fresh, simple cooking from his mother – who hailed from the stunningly beautiful Amalfi Coast – and his experience working in restaurants in Gioia Tauro in the region of Calabria.  

Mermolia’s culinary philosophy focuses on the “complexity of simplicity.” He believes that creating the simplest of dishes with only two or three ingredients is the most difficult challenge for a chef. “Not only do you have to source the best ingredients, but you also have to master the technique and perfect the execution of the final dish. 

giuseppe formica, general manager

Giuseppe discovered his passion for hospitality at an early age, growing up in his grandparent’s family-owned restaurant located in Philadelphia. After moving to Sicily, he embraced his passions for travel, food, and beverage, becoming the head of a city association that hosted large scale food events.

Giuseppe worked as the Food and Beverage Manager at the famous Parker Palm Springs Hotel before moving to Washington, D.C. to work as the Restaurant and Beverage Manager for Fabio Trabocchi’s Georgetown waterfront restaurant, Fiola Mare. Giuseppe helped open additional restaurants for the FT Restaurant group before becoming General Manager of Fiola in 2021. The MICHELIN Guide awarded Giuseppe the D.C. 2023 Service Award in acknowledgement of his unwavering passion and dedication to world-class hospitality. The James Beard Foundation selected Fiola as a Semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality in 2024.

Casper Rice, corporate wine & spirits director

Originally from Chicago, Casper moved to San Francisco in 2004 to explore the food and wine industry. He studied under Master Sommelier Larry Stone at Rubicon Restaurant, and later joined the team at Restaurant Michael Mina in the Westin St. Francis, working with Wine Director Rajat Parr. ​

In 2008, after spending a growing season in the Loire Valley and a harvesting season in Burgundy with Nicolas Potel, Casper returned to San Francisco to open Rajat Parr’s Burgundy-focused restaurant RN74. He went on to drive the bar programs for Michelin-starred Alexander’s Steakhouse, focusing on the San Francisco location. ​

Using his deep understanding of flavor balance, Casper created 'farm-to-table’ house-made bitters, tinctures, and syrups to produce cocktails that perfectly matched Chef Marc Zimmerman’s Japanese-influenced gastronomic creations. After two and a half years of bar programming, Casper was recruited to Virginia by The Inn at Little Washington. ​

Casper co-authored a Grand Award-winning wine list while running the floor as a sommelier and organizing the cellar of around 18,000 bottles. After a year and a half, Casper found his new home with Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants, overseeing the wine and beverage programs at all locations. ​

Under Casper’s leadership, Fiola’s wine list received the Grand Award from Wine Spectator in 2019 and 2020. ​