Francesco Allegro
Sfoglino, Rossoblu | Los Angeles
June 2021
2021 StarChefs Los Angeles Rising Stars Sfoglino Award Winner presented by Niman Ranch
On the wheat fields of Canosa di Puglia, Italy under the late July sun, Francesco Allegro’s grandfather would spend his days harvesting seeds to take home, grind, toast, then form into a toasted wheat troccoli. Today, Allegro makes that same troccoli, tossed with a fragrant combination of breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil, and parsley, at Rossoblu. From a young age, he worked in the restaurant industry as a line cook and server, but after high school, he pursued his two favorite things: music and pasta.
While producing acoustic music with his band, Mai Personal Mood, Allegro travelled around Italy, practicing the craft of pasta at Cast Alimenti, Re Mida Ristorante, Vecchia Scuola Bolognese, and La Casa del Tortellino, known for the world’s smallest tortellini. On the side, Allegro taught Italian language classes, and in 2017, Chef Steve Samson was one of his students. Impressed by Allegro’s profound pasta skills, Samson recruited him to become the head sfoglino at his Bolognese-inspired restaurant, Rossoblu. Allegro now resides in L.A., where he hand-makes pasta for Rossoblu’s restaurant and market. In addition, he makes and delivers truffle-packed sauces and pasta through his company, Truffle Dealers, and still finds the time to travel back to Italy to share his music.
