The James Beard Award-winning chef behind the wildly acclaimed Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix is headed to the Bay Area to open his first restaurant here this fall.
As was first reported by the Robb Report, and subsequently by Eater, chef Chris Bianco has signed on to revamp the two restaurant spaces at Carneros Resort and Spa, which is on Highway 12 near the Sonoma border in Napa County.
Bianco will reportedly be overhauling the menus at both the resort's more upscale restaurant Farm, and the more casual Market. And while Market already serves pizza, Bianco will be revamping that aspect as well — and it sounds like popular brunch spot Boon Fly Cafe, also on the property, will remain as-is.
Bianco says that he plans to leverage the resort's garden and highlight local producers as well, to revamp the Farm menu. "I think it’s about taking that name, Farm, and applying a little bit more when possible the depths of that," Bianco tells Eater.
Pizzeria Bianco regularly ranks among the nation's best pizzerias, and Chef Bianco has gone on to open other restaurants including upscale Italian spot Tratto in Phoenix, and both Pizzeria Bianco and Pane Bianco in Los Angeles — the latter of which opened in June, taking over the space at The Row in DTLA vacated by Tartine.
Farm and Market will be Bianco's first forays into the Bay Area scene, which is already crowded with plenty of great pizza — though there could always be room for more. When asked by Eater if he'd consider opening something in San Francisco, Bianco says, "“I would never say never. I don't say never anymore. But it’s not my plan.”
Look for Farm and Market both to reopen, following the completion of an ongoing renovation at Farm, sometime this fall. (Until then, as it has since April, Farm has been offering outdoor dining only.)
Top image via Pizzeria Bianco Los Angeles