The Chefs

Chef Peter J. DeRuvo

Hometown: Queens, New York Years in the industry: 25 Cooking School?: Johnson and Wales University AOS Culinary Arts, BOS Hospitality Management	Restaurants Worked: Al Forno, Providence, RI Olivetto, Berkeley, CA Arnolfo, Colle Val Delsa, Tuscany; Italy Casalta, Strove, Tuscany; Italy Sassi, Scottsdale, AZ Prado, Scottsdale, AZ Favorite Dish and Wine At Davanti: Handmade Orrechietti Moltipulciano, di Abbruzz

Hobbies:
Reading cookbooks, developing new italian dishes with old technique, listening to classical music, golf, movies all kinds!

Service Philosophy:
We the willing led by the qualified, have been doing it for so long with so little, we now attempt to do the impossible, and dominate!!!!
You're only as good as your last dish...

Your best is required...

It's all about the food!!!

Scott Harris

Twenty years ago, Chef Scott Harris co-founded Francesca’s Restaurants.
He has established himself as one of Chicago’s most iconic restaurateurs
and the company continues to grow, winning fans and accolades across the country.
Harris has earned a stellar reputation as a chef, business leader, developer
of talented people and a generous contributor to his community.

Harris discovered his love of the culinary arts in high school while working
at Fox’s Pub on the South Side of Chicago. He attended Joliet Jr. Culinary School
and spent the next 15 years training at prestigious restaurants around Chicago.
When he discovered the joys of authentic Italian cuisine, with its delicious,
fresh ingredients and straightforward approach to cooking, he knew that this
was what he wanted to focus upon.

The restaurant was an immediate hit, not only for the quality of the food, but also its friendly, unpretentious look and feel. It was the kind of welcoming restaurant that attracted many regular customers who would eagerly come back day after day. Twenty years later, Francesca’s has become a Chicago institution.

There are 20 Francesca’s restaurants in the Chicago metropolitan area as well as locations in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona and California. Harris has also created a number of other concepts, including Davanti Enoteca, a new contemporary cousin to Francesca’s and another smash success.
Over the years, and with his signature attention to detail, Harris has created a company of restaurants with individual flair and neighborhood appeal while still maintaining consistency within the brand. Francesca’s restaurants’ close-knit, family-like atmosphere results from promoting people from within rather than hiring outside applicants. All restaurant employees, from dishwashers to waiters, are encouraged to push themselves to move up within the company.

“I have been blessed to be able to take my dream of opening my own restaurant and growing that dream to where it is today,” he says. “When people step into Francesca’s and any of my restaurants, I consider it like stepping into my home. I want to welcome them with open arms and make sure they have a wonderful experience. Fortunately, we’ve been able to accomplish that for 20 years. I am very proud that we’ve gained a wonderful family of customers and an amazing family of long time, loyal employees. It’s very fulfilling to see dishwashers and cooks, who are in the position I was in 25 years ago, grow into skilled restaurant professionals.”

The year 2012 represents the beginning of a new chapter, as the company prepares for major expansion throughout the country. Harris has put a top-notch executive team in place to guide this growth while maintaining the personal, family-like company feeling that is at the core of the Francesca’s brand.

Scott Harris is a native of Chicago. He currently lives in the Chicago and San Diego areas with his wife and two children.