In a fast-paced society, where conversations with strangers are few and far between, one place continues to slow the world down and bring people together: the dinner table.
It takes a confident yet comfortable persona to not only gather patrons into a restaurant, but leave them with a smile, a memory and, most importantly, a satisfied palate. Columbus is home to a wealth of these eccentric and memorable restaurant owners and chefs, and we’ve found a few that would love to have you stop by.
Italian Allure
Walking through the doors of Vittoria Ristorante & Bar in Powell, one will, without a doubt, encounter the smiling face of General Manager Vittorio Borgia.
He has only been with the restaurant for a few months, but he has already brought with him the signature hands-on approach that has led him through decades of culinary success, most recently at Eddie Merlot’s in the Polaris area.
Borgia finds that he’s at his best when he’s navigating the dining room, greeting each guest.
“I live on the floor; that’s where I thrive,” he says. “I’m chief cook and bottle washer. I specialize in tableside service and I know all my guests. If I don’t touch and say hello to every guest in this restaurant, I haven’t done my job. You think you’re getting away without saying good night to me? No way.”
His excitable and charming personality is backed with a genuine love for people.
“It’s a celebration of life; we all want to feel good and we should all feel good,” Borgia says. “People like it when you notice change. If you have a new pair of glasses or hairstyle, I’ll make sure to let you know it looks great. People deserve to be complimented. It’s not ‘schmoozing.’ It’s a fact.”
The man with the friendly handshake and a degree from the Bordeaux International Wine Institute grew up at the Palm in New York. Behind the bar of the restaurant, Borgia would sit with the head chef.
“When my parents came in for lunch, they would put me on the end of the bar and the owner would babysit me,” he says. “He would have me taste everything. ‘Vittorio, try this.’ That’s when I fell in love with restaurants.”
Borgia hopes to have success with Vittoria and he confidently believes that, with personable staff and management, prosperity is not only possible, but inevitable.
“I learned at an early age that people are amazing,” he says. “I’m so driven because I can positively affect someone’s life and make that one-and-a-half-hour dinner or 15-minute exchange special for them. That’s humanity.”
A Dream of Dining
When renowned Spagio chef Hubert Seifert arrived in the U.S. from Germany, he bought a pair of boots, a rodeo shirt, a cowboy hat and a Texas-style belt buckle in hopes of fitting in.
But his Bonanza-based ensemble isn’t what made him a popular in central Ohio: It was his tremendous skill with a skillet and knack for conversation.
“I’m on the floor every day and I listen to what the customers like,” Seifert says. “When somebody walks through the door, you have to make them feel at home and they have to enjoy themselves. That’s the reason they come.”
Its commitment to taking the time out to make guests feel at home and treat them as individuals is one reason Grandview Heights-based Spagio continues to flourish and expand.
“In all this, I hate the phrase ‘feed people,’” Seifert says. “We don’t ‘feed’ people. Animals feed; mankind eats. We want people to enjoy. We don’t just give them a plate and tell them to get out.”
His philosophies about making customers comfortable at the eatery mirror his ideas for restaurant management.
“My people don’t work for me, they work with me,” Seifert says. “When you have that attitude toward your employees, it helps. A lot of my people have been here forever. It’s a big family.”
The family feel of the restaurant comes organically. Seifert runs Spagio with his wife, Helga, who has been there for 22 years.
The familiar faces behind the counter often see familiar faces walking through the door.
“We see second and third generations come in,” Helga says. “We served guests at high school proms and now we see their kids come in here.”
While Spagio has been a well-known name for years in central Ohio, Seifert’s is a name recognized around the world, says Jeffrey Bohlmann, operator of Aubergine, a private dining club also managed by Seifert.
“He really brought fine dining and cuisine to the area,” says Bohlmann. “In my profession, there’s not much of a higher place to go than working with him. He’s the father of cuisine in Columbus; we call him the ‘Prince of Grandview.’”
Communal Cuisine
Looking through the glass of Tasi Café on North Pearl Street in the Short North, one can see guests conversing over Greek-inspired meals, and blending in with that community is owner Tasi Rigsby.
She finds herself bonding with new and familiar faces each day at the café, and she brings to the table both the occasional complementary new entrée and everyday lively conversation.
“Eating at a table with a stranger isn’t a bad thing; it’s an opportunity to meet someone new,” Rigsby says. “We’ve had a lot of people who end up sharing their food with strangers. You shouldn’t have to eat alone. That should be a choice.”
Having been born in Crete and raised in San Francisco, Rigsby recalls celebrating the togetherness of meal times with her family.
“I grew up with a Guatemalan nanny, a Greek father and a mother who loved to cook,” she says. “Food can be intimidating, but you weren’t shy when it came to food in my house. I was in the kitchen at 5 years old with my grandmother and aunts.”
While she limits her hand in the kitchen, Rigsby actively listens to the café’s staff for ideas for new embellishments and menu additions.
“They are an extension of who you are and they have to be you when you can’t be around,” she says. “The staff here loves the food and that’s the best word of mouth you can have. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Rigsby – who is married to Kent Rigsby, owner of Rigsby’s Kitchen, also in the Short North – is also an accomplished ballet dancer, and that background helps give her the confidence to display her unique style and flair.
“Tasi Café is me; it’s funkier,” Rigsby says. “I like a place to hang out and this place is like a family room. Spectacle restaurants are cool, but then you want the places you feel comfortable with. That’s why many of us are in here every single day.”
Stephan Reed is an editorial associate. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
