Eleven Madison Park Alum To Lead New Italian Restaurant in Chapel Hill | Eater Carolinas

"Opening this spring in Chapel Hill, the new osteria—named in honor of Bakatsias’ late friend George Tarantini—will focus on Italian fare made with locally sourced ingredients and is being launched by restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias with Chef Daniel Jackson as partner and chef. Jackson returns after a 17-year culinary career that includes a three-year tenure at three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, executive sous chef work for Union Square Hospitality Group’s catering and events, and serving as executive chef at MoMA (where he ran Cafe 2, an Italian trattoria that served light Italian fare to up to 1,500 people per day); he says those experiences shape the restaurant’s approach and Eleven Madison Park taught him to push in the kitchen and work with urgency. The osteria will serve lunch, dinner, and brunch and include a market selling housemade pasta and sauces to take home; expected dishes include ricotta agnolotti with seasonal vegetables, a North Carolina seafood brodetto, potato and spring onion soup with crispy quinoa, fresh crudo using local fish, and a prosciutto pie “set to become a fast favorite.” Bakatsias praises Jackson—“Dan’s food is divine,” and “His pasta, all of which he’ll be making by hand, left me dreaming and wanting more.”—and the concept emphasizes simple, excellent Italian flavors sourced from the local area." - Jenn Rice