Chef’s Kitchen

Each month we bring a guest chef into our Chef’s Kitchen column to give us tips that elevate their cooking (and hopefully ours). They also provide a recipe that showcases their tips. Our guest chef this month is Owner Salvatore Lembo of Firenze Ristorante and Pizzeria Guido & Wine Bar. Firenze has been in Bellevue at the Crossroads Mall since 1992, serving traditional homemade Italian food based on Salvatore's recipes. Both Firenze and Guido have extensive Italian wine lists. Click here to see our story about these restaurants.

Salvatore Lembo moved to Bellevue in 1987. Prior to that, he had worked in a cousin's hotel restaurant and pizzeria in Sicily. His family was in the fashion industry in Italy. After arriving in Bellevue, he began working at the front door of Calabria restaurant in Kirkland, mainly as a favor to his friend, the owner. As he became more interested and had more of a feeling for the business, he worked in all areas of the restaurant. Eventually, he decided to open his own place. He designed every detail of Firenze (it was an empty warehouse space) and created the menu. Started on a shoestring, it has now been a staple of Bellevue's restaurant scene since 1992. In 2007, he took over the space next door and created Pizzeria Guido & Wine Bar, named after his father. They serve Tuscan-style pizza, pasta, calzone and antipasti.