STEVE BENINCASA
Executive Chef
Paolo's Ristorante
Reston, Virginia
Chef Steven Benincasa is among the icons of Capital Restaurant Concept chefs as he has worked in virtually every one of the Paolo's Ristorante locations during his long and dedicated C.R.C. tenure. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Chef Benincasa began his career with C.R.C. in April 1994, following a C.I.A. externship at The Occidental Grill in Washington, D.C.
Chef Benincasa started as a line cook at Paolo's Ristorante in historic Georgetown. After two short years he was promoted to Sous Chef at that location, where he was instrumental from the start in the areas of menu development and the continual advancement of the Paolo's concept. After a successful year in Georgetown, Steve moved to the Baltimore area as a Sous Chef with the opening of the second J. Paul's location in the Inner Harbor. He spent two years working under the demanding tutelage of Chef Claus Neilsen, before he earned his own Executive Chef stripes by taking over the reins at Paolo's Ristorante in Towson, Maryland.
It was in Towson where Chef Benincasa really came into his own as a culinary leader. 2001 was an extremely successful year for that Paolo's and for Chef Benincasa, who made huge strides in the areas of food cost, BOH labor costs, sanitation and the overall culinary program. For those efforts, he earned C.R.C.'s "Chef of the Year" award.
In early 2002, Steve transferred back to the Inner Harbor to complete his C.R.C. Baltimore "trifecta" by taking over as Executive Chef of Paolo's. In late 2005 Steve came truly full circle as he triumphantly returned to his home turf as the Executive Chef at Paolo's in Georgetown. Next, Steve showed his expertise at Mediterranean dishes at Neyla.
Now, still eager to create new culinary delights and always challenging himself, Steve has proudly taken the Executive Chef reigns at Paolo's here in Reston.