Skip to Content
News

LAVO Ristorante Announces New Chef in LA, Global Expansion

Sicilian native Luca Maita takes over as Executive Chef at the West Hollywood location, while a new restaurant opens in London, and more from the Tao Group’s LAVO brand.

LAVO Los Angeles

One of the dining rooms at LAVO Ristorante in Los Angeles

LAVO Ristorante in Los Angeles, part of the sprawling Tao Group of nightclubs and restaurants, has changed its kitchen leadership. Opened to fanfare in West Hollywood last year, the elegant coastal Italian restaurant now has Luca Maita at the helm as executive chef. A native of Catania in Sicily whose grandfather was a fisherman and who grew up in a family with a seafood business, Maita brings expertise and experience. 

Luca Maita
Luca Maita is the new executive chef at LAVO Ristorante in West Hollywood, in Los Angeles.

He started his career cooking in Sicily and then in London and Australia, before landing in the Los Angeles area in 2016. More recently, he led the kitchens at highly rated Italian restaurants 1212 in Santa Monica and Nonna in Westlake Village, before joining Lavo in West Hollywood.

At LAVO Ristorante, he’s tasked with overseeing a menu that goes deep into seafood while covering many popular Italian dishes, as well as representing a dynamic, growing brand with locations in Manhattan, Las Vegas, and San Diego, as well as the new LAVO London. There’s a Mexico City LAVO in the works for 2024 as well.

Angelenos will have a chance to experience a special LAVO menu for DINE LA, running October 6-20, with prix-fixe brunch at $35 [pdf] and dinner at $65 per person [pdf].

Check out more images from LAVO Ristorante in Los Angeles below.

big meatball
The Meatball from LAVO Ristorante in Los Angeles.
salt baked sea bass
Salt-baked sea bass from LAVO Ristorante.
tagliatelle topped with caviar and herbs
Tagliatelle al limon from LAVO.
LAVO Los Angeles
More of the stunning interiors from LAVO Ristorante.
Patio at LAVO
The patio at LAVO Ristorante.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Appetito

How to Make Nonna Pina’s Stuffed Artichokes

In the first recipe from I Will Be Your Grandmother, Sicilian chef Mario Traina shares the stuffed artichokes his grandmother made slowly and generously for family dinners in Sicily.

May 15, 2026

How to Make Crispy Salmon and Prawn Tagliatelle with Roasted Lime

Crispy salmon, king prawns, roasted lime, and silky parmesan cream sauce turn this tagliatelle into the kind of pasta dinner that feels both comforting and impressive.

May 14, 2026

Why Sanremo Is the Italian Riviera Escape to Know Now

With Belle Époque glamour, Ligurian food traditions, and a newly restored seaside hotel, Sanremo offers a slower and more elegant vision of the Italian Riviera.

May 14, 2026

Four Bassano del Grappa Restaurants Locals Don’t Want You to Know About

Just beyond Venice, Bassano del Grappa offers the kind of local restaurants and everyday Veneto culture many travelers spend years trying to find.

May 13, 2026

How to Make Mira’s Sardinian Culurgiones at Home

At Buffalo’s Mira, chefs Manny and Gina Ocasio are bringing lesser-known regional Italian dishes to the table, including the intricate handmade Sardinian pasta known as culurgiones.

May 13, 2026

Ronnie Fieg Opens Ronnie’s Pronto Beside Kith West Hollywood

The Kith founder’s newest hospitality venture brings Italian-inspired sandwiches, frozen matcha drinks, and New York café culture to Sunset Boulevard.

May 12, 2026
See all posts