The chef whose dream came true
If you build it, they will come. Much like Field of Dreams, a 1989 sports fantasy film starring Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield attracting the ghosts of baseball legends, so too Biagio Vignola of Little Washington built a diamond of an osteria, a restaurant attracting Italian cuisine aficionados.
You don’t have to travel to Rome to enjoy traditional handmade pasta. You can simply take Route 522 to Front Royal and savor Italian epicurean delights at Biagio’s Osteria Maria, previously known as Osteria 510. Its opening was a stunning success and they did come - friends and the previous owner’s regulars among others.
Biagio, who lives here with wife Elena and tiny daughter Maria, came to Rappahannock pedigreed with rich culinary experience. He comes from a line of Italian restaurateurs who taught him a passion for cooking and the tradition of handmade, authentic cuisine from the Triveneto region of northeastern Italy.
He grew up in a rural, agricultural area of Maryland, namely Boyds, and cut his teeth if you will, at Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C., at the age of 18. A baptism by fire incident had him evolve quickly as a pastry chef learning with fervor. During his years at Catholic University, he decided he’d rather pursue a trade, perhaps becoming a plumber or electrician, but decided on the culinary industry. As he tells it, he loves to eat.
For a number of years he worked for the famed Fabio Trabocchi Group, Fabio Trabocchi being an internationally acclaimed chef and restaurateur based in Washington, D. C.
He was recruited to join The Inn at Little Washington team, as a chef de- partie, with his wife Elena working the front of the house, but his engagement lasted barely a year, cut short by COVID.
He ended up working for Blue Ridge Meats Slaughterhouse in Front Royal along with two other Inn at Little Washington grads. The eighteen months proved grueling and depressing; the slaughter of
animals weighing heavily in his being. While there, the owners asked if he’d be interested in buying the business. He wasn’t.
Devout Catholics, Biago and Elena prayed to St. Joseph to find, he shares, “where I could cook and provide.” On one occasion, for his birthday, the owners took him to Osteria 510 in Front Royal, then owned by Vincenza. He mentioned to Biagio that his restaurant was for sale, as he wished to retire.
Biago worked for him for eight months during which time he scraped together the down payment from friends and family members. Their opening night, he shares, “we cleared out our bank account to finance the night.”
At a recent visit, scenes from La Boheme were enjoyed along with a delicious multi- course meal and some of Puccini's finest music, performed by Castleton alumni
Nicholas Carratura (Rodolfo), Melissa Chavez (Mimi), Sarah Heisler (Musetta), and joined by Dan Sherwood (Marcello) and celebrated conductor Jan Wagner at the piano. The opera singers strolled through Osteria Maria, navigating the aisles of the cozy 13 table dining area, singing with gusto to the pure appreciation of an attentive audience.
Biago employs five full- time staff and 9-10 high schoolers who work part time and they are busy. There are no microwaves present, an old pasta maker is treasured and the food is rustic Italian.
The restaurant is located at 510 South Royal Avenue. It is open for lunch Tuesdays - Saturdays 12 noon - 2 p. m. and dinner starting at 5 p. m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and Mondays.
The reviews are incredible. This author has every intention of becoming a regular!