Domenico Cornacchia, Café Milano’s corporate chef, taps into ages of ancestral Italian cooking each time he steps into the kitchen. Café Milano owner Franco Nuschese recognized Cornacchia’s talents early and elevated him to the decision-making management team in 2002.

Cornacchia was the original principal chef when Café Milano opened in 1992. He then ran the upscale culinary operations for Nuschese at Tre Visi and La Scala restaurants at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. After the sale of those Nevada restaurants, Cornacchia returned to Café Milano’s kitchen for a year, then moved to Las Vegas to consult to the culinary industry.
Cornacchia was appointed corporate chef at Café Milano in August, 2002, and named to a team which explores future developments for the restaurant.

Cornacchia was a restaurant apprentice at age 12 in Ascoli-Piceno, Italy, making fresh pastas and other specialties by hand. He later attended hotel school in Ascoli-Piceno.

Cornacchia's creative talent drew him to restaurants in northern Italy, where the use of sensual fresh herbs and cheeses is a classic art form. Cornacchia honed his skills even further in New York City and southern California as well as international kitchens in Switzerland and southern France.

Cornacchia's Italian cooking wins top reviews from some of the most respected food critics in the nation's capital, including Washingtonian magazine’s Robert Shoffner and restaurant critic Phyllis Richman. He was profiled on Forbes’ internet culinary site this summer.

A man with a quick and fetching smile, Cornacchia speaks Italian, French, Spanish and English, and possesses an Italian's passion for soccer.
Cornacchia and his wife, Teresa, have a young daughter and a son.

Forbes.com food/wine Fall 2002 Cafe Milano's Mullet

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