Chef/Owner nicholas stefanelli

Nicholas Stefanelli is the chef and owner of three restaurant concepts in Washington, DC: the Michelin-starred Masseria in DC’s Union Market district; Officina, an Italian-inspired culinary collective with three locations in the nation’s capital; and Philotimo, a Greek restaurant and Mezza bar featuring the diverse flavors of Greece.

A Maryland native, Stefanelli graduated from L’Académie de Cuisine and cooked under culinary legends Roberto Donna (Galileo and Laboratorio del Galileo, Fabio Trabocch (Maestro and Fiamma), Thomas Keller (French Laundry), and one of the region’s most important restaurateurs, Ashok Bajaj, where Stefanelli helmed Bibiana.

Under Stefanelli’s tenure, Bibiana was named a “Best New Restaurant” by Esquire. Stefanelli was named the 2010 Rising Star by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and was included as a nominee for the Rising Star Award by the James Beard Foundation. In 2016, Masseria was prominently featured in The Wall Street Journal, and earned a RAMW nomination for “New Restaurant of the Year.”