For Chef Walter Pisano, running an Italian restaurant was preordained. As the son of a New York restaurateur, the business runs in his blood; as part of an East Coast Italian family, the food is in his heart.

Pisano is a longtime fixture on the Northwest restaurant scene, most notably for opening and operating Tulio Ristorante. Since its inception, Tulio has been a regular on the awards lists, including Seattle's Best Italian Restaurant, Best Business Lunch and Best Kept Secret.

Among his many honors, Pisano attended the American Harvest Workshop, an invitation–only culinary event limited to five chefs each year. Locally, Pisano regularly donates his talents to charitable causes, from black–tie events to soup kitchens.

Through traditional apprenticeships, Pisano was trained in classical European cuisine before moving to Seattle, where he helped open The Hunt Club in the Sorrento Hotel. In 1984, Pisano took a culinary tour of Europe, immersing himself in Italian and French cuisines. Appointments that followed included Executive Chef at the popular Bravo Pagliacci, and Sous Chef at Gerard Relais de Lyon restaurant in Bothell, where he met superstar Chef Jean–Louis Palladin. Pisano became the first American to work as sous chef at the prestigious Jean–Louis restaurant at the Watergate in Washington, D.C.

In 1992, he returned to Seattle, and to his roots: Italian cuisine. Pisano opened Tulio Ristorante as Executive Chef. Tulio is the name of Pisano's father, the late John Tulio Pisano, a Brooklynite who ran restaurants and supper clubs in New York City before moving to Seattle. In 2002, Walter Pisano took a hiatus to help open another restaurant and traveled extensively to visit restaurants across the country and throughout Italy.

To the delight of his fans, Pisano returned to Tulio in Oct. 2004, invigorated and inspired. Pisano's heartfelt memories of food and family are reflected in his bold-flavored, sophisticated Italian cuisine, and Tulio Ristorante is proud to be his showcase.

Tulio Ristorante
Hotel Vintage Park