Richard J. Corbo
Chef Richard J. Corbo began his cooking career at the age of sixteen while studying at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey. While furthering his education at Rutgers University, Corbo toured the Italian restaurant scene on the Jersey shore working in diverse kitchen settings and building the foundation for a successful culinary career.
In 1999, Richard decided to take his professional pursuits to Boston and immediately found a home working with Chefs Jason Santos and Andy Husbands at Tremont 647. As this was the first time he was not cooking traditional Italian fare, he learned much from these up and coming young chefs executing their rendition of adventurous, modern American cuisine. From Boston, Richard moved on to Manhattan to work under Chef Michael Romano at Union Square Café where he enjoyed exploring the interplay between the time-honored Italian fare he grew up with and the rule-breaking American cuisine of his friends in Boston.
By the turn of the New Year of 2002, Richard was certain that he was doing exactly what he wanted with his professional life while still having a lingering desire for additional professional credentials. Though he had been cooking full time for over six years, he enrolled in The Culinary Institute of Florence, Italy to fully embrace and study the cuisine of his ancestors. After a general culinary program in Florence, Richard completed a savory pastry and pasta workshop in Brescia, a pastry seminar held by Pierre Hermme, and secured various appointments and stages in restaurant kitchens across Northern Italy from Florence to Venice. Returning home to the States after nine months of travel and study, Richard possessed a renewed sense of purpose, newfound skills, and an increased confidence about his abilities in the kitchen.
Soon after his return, Richard was offered his first executive chef position at the helm of Slowly, a modern American bistro in New Jersey. Though only twenty-five years old, Richard won great accolades at Slowly and in less than a year, the restaurant was noted to be a standout by numerous newspaper and magazines, including being named by the 2005 New Jersey Zagat’s Guide as one of the best new restaurants in the state.
Early in 2006, Richard moved across the country to go to work and learn in America’s other great restaurant city – San Francisco. Settling in to life on the west coast, Richard earned a job at Restaurant Gary Danko, where he quickly assumed a lead role in the kitchen and furthered his understanding of how to work with pristinely fresh ingredients.
Shortly after his stint with Danko, Corbo was recruited for the project that would change not only his career, but also his approach to his own cuisine. Opening the Venetian-inspired Ducca in the Westin, San Francisco, Richard combined traditional Italian regional and rustic-inspired preparations with smart, urban and contemporary Italian cuisine. As Executive Chef at Ducca, Corbo established his unique culinary perspective and won accolades for his food, including Conde Nast Traveler’s Best New Restaurants, Gourmet Magazine’s Ten Hottest Italian Restaurants in San Francisco, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top Ten Restaurants of 2007. Ducca earned a three-star rating from the Chronicle and Chef Corbo was named as one of the newspaper’s 5 Rising Star Chefs of 2008.
After leaving Ducca in June 2009, Corbo’s next creation will be Pizzeria Zanna Bianca opening in early 2010 at the Jack London Square Markets on Oakland’s waterfront. At Zanna Bianca (white fang in Italian), Richard will write the next chapter in the Bay Area’s love affair with the pizza creating wood-fired, regionally inspired pizzas, including la vera pizza napoletana, in addition to artisanal house-made breads, hand-made pastas, and market-driven small plates. With a wood burning oven at the center of its kitchen along with a cleverly chosen Italian wine list and an inspired mixology program, Pizzeria Zanna Bianca is set to become the Bay Area’s next great osteria.