Joseph Baldino has been surrounded by great food his whole life, crediting his mother and his two aunts as his earliest culinary mentors. The restaurant business has also been a part of his life with his maternal grandparents running a bar/restaurant around the corner from his South Philadelphia home. After many years working his way up the restaurant ladder, he began as a bus boy at a small local trattoria, graduated from both Temple University and The French Culinary Institute and eventually ended up as Chef de Cuisine at Vetri Ristorante.

It is his extensive experience working for some of Philadelphia’s most notable chefs, his travels in Italy and his most recent stay at Anna Tasca Lanza’s farm in Sicily that resulted in his creation of Zeppoli, which highlights the simplicity of good ingredients and careful preparation that has always been a focus in his culinary vision.