A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Mike Sindoni — the recently appointed executive chef of D.C.’s deluxe British Isles restaurant and Scotch bar, AGAINN — has always loved food. “Eating was always a big deal,” he said of family mealtimes. “I’m one of six kids, so we always had big family dinners. I still cook when I visit home.” Enrolling in Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts program, Sindoni spent his sophomore year abroad, studying in Florence, Italy, and decided his goal was to get a job in Italy after he graduated. “A friend was doing a study program there,” he said, “so I decided to tag along. I went into a Florence restaurant, Il Cibreo, and said I would work for free.”
Perhaps a real turning point in his culinary career, the volunteer job was, says Sindoni, a lesson in hard work. “It was a 15-hour day of prep work,” he says. “It was a good first real restaurant to work in. Everything was made from scratch daily.” He recalls how the walk-in refrigerator was always empty at the beginning of each day, except for prosciutto and Parmesan cheese.
