Gino Bartucci Has Good Taste

Restaurant leadership systems, hospitality culture, and scaling with integrity Gino Bartucci shares what it really takes to build a legacy in the restaurant world (and protect it when headlines hit).In this episode of All In Good Taste, Aidan Descourouez sits down with Gino Bartucci behind the line to talk about family roots, fresh pasta, and the hard operational realities guests never see training teams, choosing partners, setting boundaries, and building checks and balances as you grow.If you’re a restaurant owner, operator, chef, or hospitality leader trying to scale without losing your standards (or yourself), this conversation is a practical look at what “earning trust over time” actually requires.Time Stamps / Chapters:00:01:12 – Intro: Gino Bartucci’s roots + putting your name on the door00:01:55 – Cooking: amatriciana vs carbonara (behind the line)00:02:22 – Family story: Ellis Island, Harlem Ave, and earning pride00:03:12 – “Pasta Fresh” and serving 150+ restaurants (B2B growth)00:04:42 – First jobs at 10: fresh mozzarella, slicer, and confidence00:06:11 – The bathroom-cleaning lesson: leadership by example00:08:00 – Training, delegating, and why owners go “too hands-off”00:09:27 – Legacy vs inheritance: consistency + fighting for return customers00:20:40 – Timeline: Bartucci (2014) → growth → Gino & Marty’s after Covid00:27:13 – Dubai expansion: “Mr. Chicago” + global recognition00:30:26 – Pasta Villa concept: fast-casual, customizable, “no seed oils” claim00:34:48 – Partnerships, ego, and how money changes culture downstream00:38:43 – Public reporting, closure, reset, and rebuilding with systems