Principals
Matteo Ferdinandi
FactoryPlaceHospitality Matteo Ferdinandi brings a wealth of fine-dining experience and genuine hospitality to each of his restaurants. A true Italian restaurateur, Ferdinandi is on a mission to bring to the table the history and culture of the Italian people through local Italian specialties in an era when competitors favor interpretations of true Italian dishes.
Ferdinandi’s introduction to the hospitality industry came at an early age helping at his family’s bakery and hotel in his native Chioggia, Italy, a fishing town south of Venice near the Po River Valley. Despite his love of both food and hospitality, Ferdinandi initially pursued a career in civil engineering, studying in Italy and spending summers in Great Britain to improve his English.
Eager to earn a little spending money while in Great Britain, Ferdinandi took a job in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant in London, igniting a passion for cuisine that led to the end of his nascent engineering career.
Pursuing his lifelong dream of moving to the U.S., Ferdinandi arrived in Los Angeles in 1992. There he met his future wife, Francine — now an accomplished sommelier and partner in FactoryPlaceHospitalityGroup. With a desire to be a part of the gastronomic capital of the United States, and inspired by the likes of Danny Meyer, Tom Colicchio and Lidia Bastianich, Ferdinandi and Francine moved to New York City to immersed themselves in the culinary landscape. Following his time on the East Coast, Ferdinandi joined Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group to be in charge of the groundbreaking Spago Las Vegas as its general manager before returning to Los Angeles to oversee CUT in nearby Beverly Hills as its opening general manager.
With Ferdinandi’s relocation back to Los Angeles, he reconnected with Chef Angelo Auriana, known for his work at Piero Selvaggio’s acclaimed Valentino. Together with Auriana, the pair joined with Francine Diamond-Ferdinandi to establish FactoryPlaceHospitalityGroup. Factory Kitchen opened in the Arts District in 2013 to wide praise. The success of the LA concepts was the catalytic for FPHG to be invited to open two locations at The Venetian Resort, respectively: Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano in 2018 and Brera Osteria in 2021. Ferdinandi asserts that while the service at each of the FactoryPlaceHospitalityGroup restaurants meets fine-dining standards, it focuses on providing a friendly, seamless and unobtrusive experience. “It all comes down to making people comfortable in terms of food, environment, pricing and a menu they can relate to,” he says. Speaking to his core hospitality philosophy, Ferdinandi explains, “We never say ‘no’ to the customer, and we accommodate the needs of every guest.
We make things happen without guests ever noticing or feeling it.” In 2019. FPHG’s Factory Kitchen & sixth+mill in Los Angeles were named Bib Gourmand establishments, while Brera Ristorante received an Award of disctinction for the inaugural MICHELIN Guide California and is currently one of the 50 BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANTS in the World. (#43).
Chef Angelo Auriana
Chef Angelo Auriana was born in Bergamo, Italy, where at age 17 he graduated with honors from the prestigious San Pellegrino Hotel School. He began his formal training in his beloved hometown working with Pierangelo Cornaro; one of the most influential “maestros” of Auriana’s professional career. Shortly after, Auriana traveled to various regions and wine country of Italy, learning from highly regarded chefs, as well as the tradition and authenticity of his homeland cuisine.
After a Florida vacation, Auriana made his way to California in 1985, where he helped with the opening of Piero Selvaggio’s contemporary Italian restaurant, “Primi,” shortly after becoming the executive chef of “Valentino Ristorante” during his tenure of nearly 18 years in Valentino’s kitchen. Auriana has worked on developing his distinctive style he calls “cuisine of ingredients.” This style reflects an intense passion for choosing the best possible ingredients, while maintaining each dish to unveil its’ individual flavors. At Valentino, Auriana has come to love pairing his innovative food with wines from all over the world, creating a multiple course “experience.”
Francine Diamond – Ferdinandi
Diamond-Ferdinandi offers an extensive background in wine. Her knowledge of wine has led her to work at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the country, including Gramercy Tavern in New York City, Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in Las Vegas and Spago in Beverly Hills before becoming The Beverage Director of FactoryPlaceHospitalityGroup.
Diamond-Ferdinandi offers a manageable wine list and makes sure her staff is educated in wine to better assist guests. “We will have an interesting list with quality wines at different price point. The focus is on producers who respect the terroir. We want to keep it simple, offering wines which are ready to drink and will work with the menu,” says Diamond-Ferdinandi.
Diamond-Ferdinandi is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. She also holds a diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (W.S.E.T.) program, which leads to the Master of Wine program.
Francine and Matteo are Husband and Wife.
