Charlotte chef heads rebrand of uptown restaurant

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte chef who’s been a fixture in the local culinary scene for more than 12 years spearheaded the recent rebrand of an uptown restaurant, which now focuses on Italian fare.

Caffe Siena at 230 N. College St. closed last month and has since transitioned to forchetta Italian Kitchen, with executive chef Luca Annunziata leading those efforts. The restaurant occupies a storefront inside Holiday Inn Charlotte - Center City, which is owned by GF Management.

Annunziata and wife Jennifer owned Passion8 in Fort Mill for several years before moving the restaurant to Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood in 2014. Three years later, the couple rebranded it to Luca Modern Italian Kitchen, which put a modern spin on Italian and Mediterranean fare. That concept closed in March 2018, a decision that Annuziata said stemmed from the stress of owning and operating a restaurant as well as being able to spend more time with his now 5-year-old child.

Annunziata joined Caffe Siena shortly after closing Luca Modern Italian Kitchen. Changing Caffe Siena to a new concept was always part of Annunziata’s plan when he came on board, he said.

Both the menu and the space have undergone a revamp, the cost of which wasn’t disclosed. The project took about two weeks to complete.

Read more and check out photos here.

Cox Media Group