Chef
Tony Najiola
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Petaluma, California, United States
i. Biography
In Petaluma, California, Central Market reads as a kitchen that knows what it is: fresh, local food, plainly served, with enough control to make the basics register more sharply. Since 2003, Tony Najiola has shaped that line through dishes that rely on handling rather than ornament — cabbage around spiced lamb, dough fired in a wood-burning oven, watermelon set against feta, arugula, and Lavender Honey. The point is not novelty. It is the discipline of keeping familiar combinations clear, balanced, and exact.
The Climb
Chef and owner Tony Najiola has led Central Market in Petaluma, where the kitchen favors clarity over display. The result is a style that does not ask for attention before service; it earns it through restraint and precision.
Today
From 2003 to the present, Tony Najiola has held both posts — chef and owner — at Central Market in Petaluma, and the restaurant’s language has stayed direct: fresh, local, simply presented. The strength of the menu is the way it works inside classic forms, making them feel a touch more vivid without pushing them past recognition. That shows up in Warm Spicy Lamb Cabbage Rolls, where North African and Indian spices and a triple yummy broth set the tone. It appears again in a Pizzetta, whose crust carries the mark of wood-burning-oven cooking. Then the register shifts with Watermelon Salad with French Feta Cheese and Wild Arugula and Lavender Honey, where sweetness, salt, and peppery greens meet cleanly, before returning to a house dish in Chicken Bomba. The kitchen’s method is easy to read on the plate. Lamb, cabbage, spice, broth, crust, fire, watermelon, feta, arugula, honey, chicken: the ingredients announce themselves, and the craft sits in how they’re managed. Each plate is built to pull a little more aroma, a little more heat, a little more crispness, or a little more depth from the same set of parts.
Signature
Tony's signature dishes include Warm Spicy Lamb Cabbage Rolls, Pizzetta, and Chicken Bomba.
Recognition
The clearest measure of Najiola’s work is the set of dishes tied to his Petaluma kitchen. Warm Spicy Lamb Cabbage Rolls show a comfort with layered spice; the Pizzetta points to dough and wood-burning-oven technique; the Watermelon Salad places fruit alongside cheese, greens, and Lavender Honey; and Chicken Bomba is the sort of plate regulars can name without needing a longer explanation. His own remark on the long run is simple: "no one’s more amazed than me." For a chef-owner whose standing comes from persistence rather than display, it fits the work: stay with the kitchen, keep the standards in view, and let the familiar keep becoming more precise.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Tony
What is Tony Najiola's current role?
As of 2026, Tony Najiola is Chef and Owner.
What is Tony Najiola known for?
Makes familiar dishes into something special.
