Luke Fetbroth
Tonino | Boston
JULY 2024
Eight miles west of Boston, in Waltham, Massachusetts, Luke Fetbroth dreamed of being a musician. When he wasn’t jamming with his punk band, the young bass player worked in his father’s car shop until his sister got him a job at Stone Hearth Pizza Co. in Belmont. Fetbroth started as a dishwasher and fell in love with the misfit feel of the kitchen, learning to make pizza while saving up money to continue pursuing his music career. After graduating high school, he worked at Acton Jazz Cafe and then Fiorella’s before moving out to Los Angeles, where he took a job at Buca Di Beppo, learning the systems of a corporate restaurant.
At 21, Fetbroth joined the team at Blue Dog Beer Tavern in the San Fernando Valley, where he became chef de cuisine and turned the kitchen around by emphasizing fresh, local ingredients, making more components in-house, and galvanizing his cooks. Wanting to go back to his culinary roots, he took a job at Pitfire Pizza, working with Rising Stars alum Jason Neroni while running the West Hollywood location of the fast-casual restaurant. After opening the Manhattan Beach location, Fetbroth moved back to Boston and landed at Giulia, digging deeper into pasta under Rising Stars alum Michael Pagliarini. He then moved over to Sarma, where he worked all the stations under the guidance of Rising Stars alum Cassie Piuma, before going on to Moody’s Delicatessen and Provisions.
Feeling burnt out, Fetbroth moved to New York. He staged at Momofuku Ssam Bar, Momofuku Nishi, and Per Se, before taking a job at Mettā in Fort Greene as sous chef and then chef de cuisine. After the restaurant closed, Fetbroth dreamt up a Mexico City-based raw bar concept, but while working towards opening, the pandemic arrived and his project fell apart. He took a job as the culinary director for Alltown Fresh, expanding their program and locations. In March 2022, Fetbroth signed a lease on his restaurant, Tonino, in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood. From breads and pizzas to pastas and meats, the dishes at Tonino are understated and polished, combining mastery of Italian techniques with high quality ingredients.
