Anthony Burd pretty much grew up around food. After watching his Italian grandparents and mother cook from a young age, he got his first job at 11 years old at a local diner. “I worked [in kitchens] throughout high school, then went to The Culinary Institute of America in New York,” he says.
After school, the New Jersey native took a trip to Italy in order to reconnect with his roots. He ended up staying there, working as an executive chef for farm-to-table restaurant Borgo Pignano in Volterra, Tuscany. It was there he fell in love with the culture and most importantly the food and where it came from. Villa Pignano’s organic farm grew 70% of their own food, to be used solely for the restaurant.
