Vincenzo Betulia, Award-winning Chef and Partner in the Campagna Hospitality Group, Announces Opening of “The French” Restaurant this fall
November 4, 2016
Naples’s First Traditional Brasserie will be located at 365 Fifth Avenue South
(Naples, Florida) August 17, 2016 – Vincenzo Betulia, award-winning Chef and Partner in the
Campagna Hospitality Group, today announced the opening of “The French” restaurant this
coming Fall. The French will be Naples’ first traditional French brasserie and will be located at
365 Fifth Avenue South, a block down the street from Chef Vincenzo’s two highly acclaimed
and buzzing establishments, Osteria Tulia and Bar Tulia.
Paying homage to authentic Parisian brasseries at the turn of the 19th Century, The French
will transport guests to a sophisticated yet bustling atmosphere of high tinned ceilings,
oversized antiqued mirrors, red leather banquettes, black and white patterned mosaic floors,
and hand painted, original murals on select walls of the airy space. A magnificent lighted
indigenous “live” oak tree will be the focal point of an expansive outdoor dining area complete
with Carrera marble tables and French bistro chairs, and an indoor/outdoor bar, the
restaurant’s piece-de-résistance.
Chef Vincenzo gained a transformative affinity, appreciation, and knowledge for French cuisine
while working with renowned Chef Paul Bartolotta at the James Beard Award-winning
restaurant, Lake Park Bistro in Wisconsin. The French will offer a brasserie rustique menu
inspired by timeless country and coastal French dishes – resembling Chef Vincenzo’s
“country” Italian cuisine at Osteria Tulia in technique and simplicity of ingredients. The French
will have lunch and evening menus featuring soups et salades (soups and salads), premiers
plats (appetizers), plats principals (entrees), les garnitures (sides), desserts made by the
restaurant’s accomplished in-house pastry chef, and daily blackboard specials. In addition,
The French will bring to Naples a classic Sunday Brunch. An extensive wine list of primarily
French wines from family boutique vineyards, will complement the brasserie’s food menus.
The French will be open seven days a week. A private dining room will be available for small
banquets. For more information and updates visit www.CampagnaHospitalityGroup.com
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About Chef Vincenzo Betulia
A Sicilian native, Vincenzo Betulia grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after his family
moved to the States when he was 2 years old. He began his career there at age 14 with
an after-school job in Paul and Joe Bartolotta’s Ristorante Bartolotta. By age 15, he held
a prized spot on the pizza line. He ultimately attained the chef position, became a
Bartolotta protégé, and helped open two additional Bartolotta restaurants in Milwaukee.
While attending the Kendall Culinary School in Chicago, Chef Vincenzo further honed his
skills at Bartolotta’s acclaimed Spiaggia. In Chicago, and later in Milwaukee, he worked
with Michael White, a fellow Kendall alum and Bartolotta protégé. On a vacation in
Naples, Florida, Chef Vincenzo fell in love with the area and secured a chef’s position at
Campiello, a staple in the Naples dining scene. He worked his way up to head chef, a
position he held for nine years, before opening his namesake restaurant, Osteria Tulia in
January 2013, and Bar Tulia, an Italian gastropub and craft cocktail bar, in December
2014. A culinary trendsetter and leader in Naples culinary evolution, Chef Vincenzo will
open his third restaurant, “The French”, a rustic French brasserie in the Fall of 2016.
Chef Vincenzo was the first chef in Naples to host a Friends of James Beard Benefit dinner in
April 2015, and will he be cooking at the world-renowned James Beard House in New York in
September 2016. He has won a Best Chefs of America Award every year from 2013 to 2016.
Chef Vincenzo was also featured in a segment of Emeril’s Florida, which aired on the Food
Network and Cooking Channel, and was selected by Chef Emeril as the only Chef from Naples
to participate in Emeril’s Taste of Florida, an event hosted by Visit Florida for the Association of
Food Journalists’ annual conference. USA Today’s 10Best recognized Osteria Tulia as the #1
Italian restaurant and #1 Lunch Spot in Naples, Florida. Chef Vincenzo received a Naples
Illustrated Readers’ Choice Award in 2015 for “Best New Chef.” Osteria Tulia was also
recommended by Forbes Travel Guide, Peter Greenberg, The Fifty Best and Fodor’s. Further,
the restaurant was awarded a Naples Illustrated Readers’ Choice Award in 2015 for “Best
Restaurant,” Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2016, and an Open Table Winner’s Choice
Award 2016. Osteria Tulia received a Golden Spoon Award in 2013 and 2015 by Florida
Trend magazine, which selects the top restaurants in the state of Florida.
About the Campagna Hospitality Group
The Campagna Hospitality Group (CHG) is owned by a small group of likeminded friends and
food-lovers, including Chef Vincenzo Betulia. CHG currently operates three restaurants,
Osteria Tulia (2013), Bar Tulia (2014) and The French (2016). With the support of a highly
skilled and dedicated team known for their excellence in offering a superior client experience,
CHG has become a leader in Naples, Florida’s culinary evolution, consistently setting new
trends and delivering the highest quality in food and service across its concepts. CHG is
committed to continuing to elevate the restaurant experience for years to come.
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Media Contact:
Claudia Dal Lago
Ella Creations
Email: Claudiadallago@gmail.com
Cell: 917-453-7028
