Chef | Creator | Luna Focacceria, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
BIO
| About Chef Joe's Style |
Food and cuisine in Italy are deeply rooted in tradition, regionality, and rules. Chef Joe spent the early part of his career learning, understanding, and appreciating all of these so-called 'rules' in three and two-Michelin starred kitchens. Now, wanting to break them all, Chef Joe takes his inspiration from Italian cuisine, while looking at California as its own distinct region within Italy.
You won't find any imported Italian flours here. Come see why Sasto obsesses over freshly milled grain - and why he looks at wheat as a vegetable, not a dried, processed, shelf stable resource. Wheat is alive, it has essential oils, and volatile aromatic flavor compounds that degrade over time, meaning that fresh is best. Chef Joe works closely with local farmers and mills that seek out and revitalize long lost strains and varieties of ancient grains - meaning flour that was milled days, not months or years before being used.
| About Chef Joe |
Prior to relocating to Southern California, Joe Sasto dove head-first into the restaurant industry by mentoring under some of the Bay Area’s most acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs. Early in his career, Sasto found it difficult to get a foot in the door in the culinary industry after forgoing the traditional path of culinary school. Instead, he spent his undergraduate years at University of California at Davis, largely sustained by cooking gigs and a driving passion for food, which he learned at a young age cooking by his mother’s side. Following a break to travel through Europe, Sasto brought his newfound international inspiration to Quince, where spent three years at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant. Under Chef Michael Tusk, Sasto was trusted to manage the handmade pasta program at Quince, learning the ropes and roots from one of America’s most celebrated Italian-influenced chefs. Later, as Executive Sous Chef at Lazy Bear, Sasto maintained his strong, cultivated relationships with local farmers and is passionate about showcasing their work on the plate. At both Quince and Lazy Bear, Sasto has been an integral member of the team, impacting the rise from one to three, and one to two Michelin stars. In August 2018, Joe left his post as an executive chef in Beverly Hills, to pursue his personal goal of opening his own restaurant. For the past two years, Joe has been traveling the country curating pop-up experiences, private events, and teaching public and private cooking classes.
| About ChefsFeed Maker's Subscriptions |
If you already follow me on social media you know that cooking and pasta making is my obsession and my passion. These Maker's Subscriptions are an extension of that. Through this, I'll be able to have a place to host recipes and a lot more exclusive behind the scenes content.
Why charge for access, you may ask? I'll be honest with you, I have been producing content for free for over 10 years and I love it, sharing my love of food and cooking is a privilege I am grateful for. Not having a traditional brick and mortar restaurant has allowed me to build an active and engaged online community worldwide. However, producing content, editing photos, buying ingredients, testing and writing recipes all come at a cost and take time. So think of this Maker's Subscription as a new way you guys can support my free content and get a whole host of extra content too, it’s a win win. I also want to create an even stronger community here, a place you can come to for a more one-on-one place for help with cooking, to get inspiring recipes and to get to know me better with a behind the scenes look at my work.
Food and cuisine in Italy are deeply rooted in tradition, regionality, and rules. Chef Joe spent the early part of his career learning, understanding, and appreciating all of these so-called 'rules' in three and two-Michelin starred kitchens. Now, wanting to break them all, Chef Joe takes his inspiration from Italian cuisine, while looking at California as its own distinct region within Italy.
You won't find any imported Italian flours here. Come see why Sasto obsesses over freshly milled grain - and why he looks at wheat as a vegetable, not a dried, processed, shelf stable resource. Wheat is alive, it has essential oils, and volatile aromatic flavor compounds that degrade over time, meaning that fresh is best. Chef Joe works closely with local farmers and mills that seek out and revitalize long lost strains and varieties of ancient grains - meaning flour that was milled days, not months or years before being used.
| About Chef Joe |
Prior to relocating to Southern California, Joe Sasto dove head-first into the restaurant industry by mentoring under some of the Bay Area’s most acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs. Early in his career, Sasto found it difficult to get a foot in the door in the culinary industry after forgoing the traditional path of culinary school. Instead, he spent his undergraduate years at University of California at Davis, largely sustained by cooking gigs and a driving passion for food, which he learned at a young age cooking by his mother’s side. Following a break to travel through Europe, Sasto brought his newfound international inspiration to Quince, where spent three years at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant. Under Chef Michael Tusk, Sasto was trusted to manage the handmade pasta program at Quince, learning the ropes and roots from one of America’s most celebrated Italian-influenced chefs. Later, as Executive Sous Chef at Lazy Bear, Sasto maintained his strong, cultivated relationships with local farmers and is passionate about showcasing their work on the plate. At both Quince and Lazy Bear, Sasto has been an integral member of the team, impacting the rise from one to three, and one to two Michelin stars. In August 2018, Joe left his post as an executive chef in Beverly Hills, to pursue his personal goal of opening his own restaurant. For the past two years, Joe has been traveling the country curating pop-up experiences, private events, and teaching public and private cooking classes.
| About ChefsFeed Maker's Subscriptions |
If you already follow me on social media you know that cooking and pasta making is my obsession and my passion. These Maker's Subscriptions are an extension of that. Through this, I'll be able to have a place to host recipes and a lot more exclusive behind the scenes content.
Why charge for access, you may ask? I'll be honest with you, I have been producing content for free for over 10 years and I love it, sharing my love of food and cooking is a privilege I am grateful for. Not having a traditional brick and mortar restaurant has allowed me to build an active and engaged online community worldwide. However, producing content, editing photos, buying ingredients, testing and writing recipes all come at a cost and take time. So think of this Maker's Subscription as a new way you guys can support my free content and get a whole host of extra content too, it’s a win win. I also want to create an even stronger community here, a place you can come to for a more one-on-one place for help with cooking, to get inspiring recipes and to get to know me better with a behind the scenes look at my work.