“My family spoke English—definitely an advantage,” says Agostino Sciandri. “Bruno probably still doesn’t speak English,” he adds with a smile, referring to his amico Bruno Vietina. Heavier now than when he arrived in 1985, Sciandri at 70 is still a dashing man.
Born and raised in the corner of Italy between Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, Sciandri may not have owned the most restaurants, but he has seen the most fame. When he opened Toscana in 1989, you couldn’t get parking, much less in the door. And when he opened Ago 13 years ago, the bar was the place for power, money and celebrity, to see and to be seen, in addition to eating the signature veal chop. “Good food, a good product—never cheat your livelihood,” he says, watching everything that’s going on over the rim of his espresso cup.
Given that the man has been a part of this from the beginning, I assume Sciandri knows whereof he speaks. “You never stop…You do what you know,” he adds, taking off his glasses. “You cannot stand still… Leaning back, ever the patriarch, Sciandri reflects. “I am a part of the trunk of this tree,” he says….
