Piero Selvaggio

Coming Up

Today, Piero is owner of Valentino (since 1972) and owner of Piero Selvaggio Valentino (since 1999). Those dates mark continuity more than expansion: a long run of keeping standards in place, and of treating refinement as part of the operation rather than an add-on. In a trade where concepts often move quickly, these rooms have held to a steadier line, with craft taking priority over novelty and consistency over churn.

Where They Are Now

He is director of hospitality for Wolfgang Puck worldwide. He also remains owner at Valentino in Santa Monica and at Valentino Las Vegas at The Venetian Resort. That combination speaks to range without breaking the thread: a broader hospitality role alongside direct responsibility for the restaurants associated with his name. The result is a career shaped by both oversight and hands-on continuity.

In Their Words “Chefs come and go. It doesn’t matter. Eventually I am the chef. I am involved with what goes on in the kitchen.” The point here is control of standards. The kitchen is where a restaurant’s identity is made day to day, and Selvaggio’s line puts that responsibility where it belongs: with the person accountable for the work, not the name on the door. “We have never been a restaurant of big numbers. We’re a restaurant of quality, not quantity.” That distinction is the operating principle behind Valentino. Volume is not the goal; the goal is a room and a kitchen run with care, where consistency and finish carry more weight than scale.