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Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop pastry chef Kendall Melton is jumping aboard the long-awaited Italian restaurant Al Fico. She will begin in the kitchen in late July after a stint staging in Paris at L'Arpege. Melton, who recently hosted a pastry pop-up at Sugar Mama’s, previously worked as Contigo’s pastry chef.
From Vino Vino owners Jeff Courington and Kelly Bell, Al Fico is intended as a "homage to the way things were." The space on 1700 East Second Street includes a wood-fired pizza oven, an all-Italian wine list, and will serve Osteria-inspired cuisine. The two launched a membership plan similar to community supported restaurant program in the spring to help finance the build-out. Clinton Bertrand, formerly of Vespaio, joined the staff as the executive chef in April.
Al Fico will be part of the slew of Italian restaurants opening in Austin this year. Already there’s Italic and Cantine. On the horizon are Juliet and Juniper.
