Augusto Bonomo, a sunny day many years ago, recognised that Porto Torres, a small town in Sardinia where he was born, had become constricting and he decided to escape, to cut his ties and put to the test his talent, his fantasy and his spirit of adventure.

After a period spent working as a fisherman he enrolled in the school of chef “la Capannina dei Franceschi” in Forte dei Marmi to further his passion for the kitchen.

His talent did not go unnoticed and he went to the palace of Dino De Laurentis and his wife Silvana Mangano who chose him as personal cook to their residence, “Villa Catena”.

After a several years of happy service, he left that honoured position as cook to further his experience and arrived in Milan.

For ten years he worked at the restaurant “Santa Lucia” where the legendary Mrs Rosetta Legnani was the owner, from whom He learned touch, but to August Bonomo he still was lacking something, a restaurant of his own to run.

In those days it was not easy to set up by oneself so he decided to run Papà Francesco Restaurant of Via Plana, together with other 2 partners, He registered the trade mark and restyled it with his personal touch. Besides his special talents in the kitchen an a touch of class, he gave this restaurant that human warmth that so many lack. That is the secret of the success of Papà Francesco and of Augusto.It takes a special talent to achieve so simple a formula.

The entrance to the restaurant in via Plana.

On a special day in 1991 Augusto was introduced to the “Sanmangoku”, a Japanese company that in its home country runs a chain of 50 confectioners and 16 restaurants. This company wanted to translate an Italian restaurant such as Papà Francesco in Japan. Augusto was naturally flattered and this new venture moved forward.

But the joys do not finish here. Whilst many good things do not last forever, Augusto is blessed by his relationship with his wife Rita and his son Paolo.Together with his family he decided to open a restaurant in Via Degli Ailanti, in the outskirts of Milano with a big garden. This restaurant was set up with hard work and love combined, attributes no one has ever doubted in Augusto.

The restaurant in via Degli Ailanti.

Augusto’s deam change arose in 1997 when he was given the opportunity to take control of a restaurant in the centre of his world, the Historical Centre of Milan called “Piazza della Scala”.

Papà Francesco is distinct from all the old restaurants of the centre of Milan and is now renowned as one of the best.

Through “word of mouth” this name is heard all over Italy and abroad. Newspapers as far away as the “Detroit Free Press” in Michigan, have talked about Papà Francesco, a traditional family restaurant of the centre of Milan where you can find quality, food and a warm atmosphere.

Well, Augusto Bonomo feels rewarded by all those sacrifices he made in the course of his life, and now it can truly be said it was worth ……..the effort.