Raffaele Solinas

“Arrived in New York City carrying a suit case packed with 45 knives, in love with the city skyline and the promise the Big Apple held, he came ready to cook.

Raffaele’s culinary journey to America began in the rustic town of Alghero, Sardinia. He studied at the Culinary Professional Institute of Hotel and Restaurant Management and spent his summers working at 5 stars Restaurants Hotel Corte Rosada and Baia di Conte. After his graduation, he joined Princess Cruises Lines, sailing to Alaska, Australia, Europe, India and the Caribbean. One fateful morning approaching port on the Hudson River, Raffaele knew he found his home. He returned to Sardinia and told everyone of his decision to move to Manhattan.

Once in New York, he started working at Giovanni 25, a cozy uptown restaurant. He honed his skills as chef de cuisine and learned the inner working of the New York restaurant scene. He later joined the staff of Baraonda restaurant as Executive Chef. Four years later, he opened his own restaurant, Osteria del Sole, in a quiet section of Greenwich Village as a tribute to his homeland island of Sardinia. Raffaele treats food as a celebration, he sings the praises of fresh ingredients, simply prepared, blending only the best Italian ingredients with his favorite cooking style, “A la Minute” Raffaele attributes the intensely flavored, enchanting, succulent dishes he prepares to the rich culinary tradition of his ancestors