10/08/2026
If this face looks familiar to you, there’s a good reason why...
Meet Executive Head Chef Toby!
First and foremost we wanted to send BIG love and a huge “Congratulazioni” for stepping into the position as our Head Chef at The Original location! He is one of the engines that keeps our kitchen firing on all cylinders.
So what does stepping into this role mean to him? We’ll let Toby take it from here:
“It’s kinda surreal if I’m being honest. When I started here it definitely wasn’t my goal. It was post Helene and the restaurant I was working at was destroyed so I was just looking for a job. I immediately recognized it as different from other places I had worked though. Effectively growing up in an Italian restaurant back home I knew what places like Vinnie’s were all about. It’s about family, community, people coming in to celebrate, bring a first date, or just talk about their week with their loved ones over some delicious comfort food. It’s also about the folks who dedicate their time to making it happen from the guy coming in at 2am to make pasta and lasagna for the day to the folks with the smiles that greet you when you walk in the door. They’re part of the family to every single person who sits down at the table. Now I get the chance to help make all those people smile. We have some of the greatest people I’ve ever met working here, as well as a fantastic customer base. It’s an absolute honor to have this opportunity. That’s what it means to me. Cheers!”
His ride-or-die dish at Vinnie’s? Lasagna with bolognese.
“Hands down. Outside of my wife’s, it’s the best lasagna I’ve ever had.” (High praise, considering his wife is Italian from Philly. He knows good red-sauce cooking when he tastes it. 🤌)
We’re lucky to have him, and even luckier to serve the dishes he puts his heart into every day.
Say hi to Chef Toby next time you’re in. He’s part of what makes Vinnie’s feel like a true neighborhood Italian spot. 🇮🇹🍝
