Stefano Pieraccini’s Edinburgh based Rocca Group, owners of The West Room, The Broughton, Rico’s on North Castle Street and Rico’s Pasta Bar within the Bonnie & Wild Scottish Marketplace, has appointed new Executive Chef Paul Barber (pictured) to oversee the food offering of its four Edinburgh venues.
Chef Francesco Ascrizzi is also joining as the new Head Pasta Chef at Rico’s and Rico’s Pasta Bar, while former Food and Beverage Outlets Manager at Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria – The Caledonian Sébastien Weber, is the new Rico’s General Manager, and Iain Thomson completes the line up as the new Head Chef at Rico’s.
Said Paul, “It’s a brilliant time to be part of The Rocca Group with two new venues recently launched. Rico’s and Rico’s Pasta Bar both bring something different to the city centre and we’re so pleased with the feedback we have received so far.
“The benefits of working for a family owned, independent group is that we are given the freedom to use the ingredients and suppliers that we like – we already have great relationships with the likes of David Lowrie Fish Merchants for all of our seafood.
“It’s the consistency of these suppliers combined with the talent and ambition of our growing team which means we can deliver a quality experience, whether you visit Rico’s for dinner and drinks, or The Broughton for a Sunday roast, or The West Room for wine and cicchetti.”
Iain is a former colleague of Chef Barber at The Balmoral and was most recently Executive Chef of Appetite Events, a private event catering company. He has also spent time working for Scottish chefs Martin Wishart and Neil Forbes.
Stefano Pieraccini said, “My family has trusted Paul with our restaurants since 2004. He knows the values of our business and what it means to create an excellent experience for diners.
“Most recently, Paul has taken the offering of The Broughton to the next level and helped us to land our listing in the Michelin Guide for 2021 – that is no easy task especially when we spent much of the last year closed.
“He will be playing a huge role in the next exciting chapter of our story as a restaurant group. Rico’s and Rico’s Pasta Bar are very personal projects for me and I have no doubt Paul will rise to the occasion, take it in his stride and continue to do a fantastic job.
“We’re thrilled to be welcoming some new faces to the Rocca Group, too, with the appointment of Francesco, Sébastien and Iain. All come with an incredible background in some of Edinburgh’s finest hospitality institutions. I am confident they will thrive in our venues and help to continue our tradition of great food paired with great service.”