At Brussels’ Osteria Romana, Filippo La Vecchia links lasting success to trusted teams, consistent standards and curiosity, while calling for greater recognition of the responsibilities carried by hospitality entrepreneurs.
A successful restaurant needs an identity strong enough to survive its owner’s absence from the kitchen. That is the principle running through Filippo La Vecchia’s account of Osteria Romana in Brussels, where his role now includes protecting standards, developing people and maintaining the character of the business.
A Team Holds the Identity
Rome-born La Vecchia describes curiosity as his most important teacher. His early hospitality jobs, including cleaning kitchens and carrying deliveries, gave him respect for the work behind a finished dining experience. That experience informs how he approaches leadership today.
He credits long-serving colleagues with sustaining the restaurant: head chef Giuseppe and sous chef Gianluca in the kitchen, and restaurant director Gokhan with the dining-room team. His own work includes developing dishes, tasting and questioning. The objective is to build a business whose quality does not disappear when one person steps away.
Precision Before Complexity
La Vecchia’s preference for simple dishes reinforces that philosophy. Risotto demands careful timing, while carbonara leaves little room to conceal mistakes behind elaborate presentation. For him, technique and judgement matter more than unnecessary complexity.
The same reasoning extends to hospitality. A meal becomes memorable through atmosphere and attention as well as food. His advice to home hosts is to cook something manageable and spend time with guests, an approach that places the human encounter at the centre of the occasion.
The Cost of Building Something Lasting
Osteria Romana’s history has included difficult external conditions, from the pandemic and economic pressures to terrorist attacks in Brussels. La Vecchia describes entrepreneurship as responsibility for employees, suppliers and families, with costs that extend into the private lives of owners and those close to them.
He argues that countries should encourage people willing to invest, create jobs and accept that responsibility. His account does not present endurance as a single dramatic breakthrough. It emerges from ordinary decisions repeated carefully: listen, accept correction, surround yourself with capable people and remain willing to learn. For hospitality businesses facing uncertainty, that offers a practical definition of resilience.
Source: DipTalk. Adapted from the original interview published by Mosaic Digest. Image from the original Mosaic Digest feature.