About Francesco Velasco
Francesco Velasco is the chef and partner in multiple Italian restaurants in Southern California:
Tra di Noi Ristorante, Malibu
Tra di Noi Focacceria, Beverly Hills
360 Café at Jose Eber, Beverly Hills
Mangia Italian Eatery Beach Café, Malibu
His heart belongs to Malibu, California where Chef Francesco cooks, forages, fishes, swims, gardens using organic and dry-earth farming practices, blends his own wines, and goes mountain biking. Malibu’s temperate climate reminds Chef Francesco of his hometown of Milan, Italy where his large family loved to cook and eat.
Chef Francesco has cooked in restaurants in Italy and Southern California, including nine years at Il Grano Italian restaurant in West LA before becoming the chef-partner of Tra di Noi in Malibu in 2007. Since coming to Malibu, Chef Francesco has developed relationships with Malibu farmers, fishermen, vintners, and chefs. It is these relationships that allow him to offer highly seasonal Italian food that reflects the culinary bounty that Malibu has to offer like fine wine, olive oil, fresh produce, line-caught ocean fish, and wild fennel. Read More
Farmer’s University Web Series
Filming has begun on a New Web Series entitled Farmer’s University
featuring Francesco and his foraging, backyard gardening,
and dry-earth farming skills.
In the first episode Francesco begins at the seashore in Malibu and rides his bike 2,000 feet
up into the hills in his search of wild prickly pear cactus fruit. When he finds some,
he makes a salad out of them.
Subscribe to the site to receive updates when new episodes are available.
What’s The Buzz?
Francesco sets his sights on opening Mangia Italian Eatery in Malibu in August 2012
Francesco looks forward to the opening of the Jose Eber 360° Café in Beverly Hills inside the Jose Eber salon.
The planning has begun for the Malibu Vintners Fundraiser Ball that will take place in June 2013. A series of winemaker dinners will take place in Tra di Noi Malibu leading up to the Fundraiser Ball.
Malibu Times Magazine threw a Holiday Recipe Contest and asked Francesco to be the judge. He chose a Bahamian Curry Lamb recipe that he described as “rich with flavor.”
Chef Francesco has his own magazine! Check it out here.
Francesco is back in his element in Malibu, skipping like a rock back to the seashore, after spending months opening his Beverly Hills restaurant.
At the Los Angeles Magazine Food & Wine event, Francesco made three dishes infused with white truffles from Alba in Italy: pizza topped with shaved truffles, polenta with mushrooms and truffles, and a dessert called a cremoso with red wine syrup and truffles.
“The secret to the holidays is cooking from the heart”. —Velasco
Velasco-Alessi
Family Wines
I grow my grapes in the Saddlerock-Malibu AVA and work with vintners to create wines that are as local as my food.
Read More
Malibu Ranch
Living Catalog
A catalog is in the works, called Malibu Ranch Living, that will bring together cookware, dishes, and decorative items showcasing Francesco’s lifestyle. Coming Soon!
Tra di Noi Restaurant Cookbook
This is the first of three cookbooks: The Tra di Noi Restaurant Cookbook, Inspired by Local Farmers & Vintners. Coming next: La Focacceria Bakery Cookbook, and the Foraging & Backyard Gardening Cookbook. These cookbooks will be available soon. Subscribe to the site to get updated when they are published.
Feed All Cafe
Feed All Café, a charity that provides food and medicine to children all over the world, has asked Francesco Velasco to be their celebrity-chef spokesperson.
