Tito Efrain Viera is our Sous Chef at Cafe Arrivederci. Tito started working at Il Fornaio when he was 17. He worked there for around 25 years, 20 of them as a Chef. Tito’s experience started from the bottom. He first started as a dishwasher. Over time his experience, responsibilities, and knowledge grew. Some time later he was sent to the Il Fornaio culinary school.

However, Tito’s story with gastronomy started way before that. Being the youngest of five children, Tito spent a lot of time with his mother. He grew up on a farm in El Salvador and while his brothers went to work on the farm, he stayed at home and helped his mother with the dishes she prepared every day. That love and passion for high-end cuisine pushed Tito to work in the restaurant industry from an early age and made him learn Italian cuisine from top to bottom.

After more than 20 years working at Il Fornaio, Tito felt ready for a new challenge. Cafe Arrivederci has become the opportunity he needed to enhance his flavors and apply all the skills he has developed over the last two decades. When we asked Tito about how was the process to change course and become the chef at Cafe Arrivederci he responded; “It was a difficult decision to leave my past restaurant because I had a strong and talented team there, but when I saw this opportunity I couldn’t let it go, this is a smaller project at this moment but it’s more authentic in terms of Italian flavors and I have more freedom over the final experience with our clients, that made all the difference”

For 2022 Tito’s is focused on expanding his cuisine and bringing amazing dishes to the clients. His biggest inspiration is his mother and he plans to continue to honor her with his work this new year. In his own words, he says; “My mom has been a great cook since I was a child. I learned how to work in the kitchen because of her and when you come to this country and you see all the opportunities you say… Why not? And even better if you’re passionate and love what you do”.