Meet Michelle Minori, the Executive Chef Behind the High-Quality Pasta Menu at Barzotto

Barzotto, an American pasta bar in the Mission, is serving up fresh, hand-rolled pasta thanks to Executive Chef Michelle Minori. The fine-casual restaurant offers simple pasta dishes, salads, crispy porchetta and gelato for all your comfort food needs.

Minori is the former executive chef of Ne Timeas restaurant group (Flour + Water, Aatxe, Central Kitchen, Cafe du Nord, Salumeria) and recently included in SF Chronicle’s Rising Star Chefs and 7 X 7’s Top 8 Women Chef in San Francisco.

With such an impressive resume, we had to ask; where did Minori’s culinary journey all begin? Instawork reached out to the master chef and bread maker to find out!

Instawork: Where’d you grow up?

Michelle Minori: I grew up in Lodi, a small town known for hot summers and lots of wine growing…I still like to visit and go wine tasting on sunny days. It’s so peaceful out there and wineries are really welcoming and fun…you can usually find live music and chill atmospheres out there….and the red wine is awesome!

IW: How did you get your start?

MM: I started in the culinary world when I dropped out of college and signed up for culinary school and landed a job at Aqua while going to school full time, which taught me the work ethic I needed to make it in this industry.

I’ve been in the industry for 11 years now.

IW: What inspires you everyday?

MM: It’s sometimes hard to find inspiration when you are in the weeds or playing catch up but being around passionate hardworking people inspires me to find the beauty in where I am and the bounty around us in the Bay Area.

IW: What’s your favorite thing about the hospitality industry?

MM: My favorite thing about being in the hospitality industry is the ability to welcome people and restore them; to offer a warm smile and a comforting plate of food is one of life’s simplest pleasures and a joy to be able to provide.

IW: What are some of the biggest challenges you face?

MM: Labor is obviously a huge challenge in San Francisco and the surrounding areas right now. Whether that’s because of the tech industry, younger generations, or immigration issues, everyone from restaurants to farms, to horse stables are finding it difficult to find hard working people we can trust and invest in.

IW: What do you do for fun when you’re not at work?

MM: I like to cook for friends, or try new places around the city or go out into nature for a hike and wash my soul of the chaos of our daily life in the kitchen and the world.

IW: What advice would you give someone on their first day of work in the industry?

MM: The best advice I think young people need is pretty simple and common sense for the most part: Be polite. Have a good attitude. Do your best. Ask lot’s of questions. Always strive to be better.

Be sure to check out Chef Michelle Minori’s creations at Barzotto located at 1270 Valencia St.

Want to work side by side with the master pasta chef herself! Barzotto is looking for a Pantry Cook and Line Cook. Click here to apply.

For other restaurant owners and operators having trouble hiring, Instawork has got you covered. We have thousands of qualified candidates ready to be hired. Click here to give Instawork try with the code IWSOCIAL for $50 off your first job post.