Chef Franco Lombardo born in Palermo, Italy moved to the US in 1995 and after working for number of years at an acclaimed Philadelphia trattoria called “ La Locanda del Ghiottone” which won numerous awards ranging from local to national he decided to move to Collingswood NJ to raise his child.
With the arrival of his second child he decided to finally open his own Trattoria and so he quit his fulltime job and he began building the place"himself", from stone to tile to wood work and so forth Franco did it all himself.
And so, on November 2003, Sapori opened its doors to the public!
At Sapori Franco creates authentic dishes that range from North to South of Italy, based on the ingredients seasonal availability.
Since its birth the restaurant has been known to deliver the most authentic Italian cuisine that most anyone has encountered outside of Italy.
Sapori in fact means “flavors”, and that is what it delivers. Repeated reviews make claims of the simplicity and culinary purity found in the ingredients used in the dishes that bring out very authentic Italian flavors. Chef Franco Lombardo works feverishly making fresh pastas and stuffing everything from quail to chicken, then moving on to chocolate mousse and of course tiramisu'. The wait staff is educated about the menu and extremely amenable. Franco himself also cruises the dining room stopping at each table to warm up their interest in his food and his country.
His motto: I cook as if I never left my country, assuming that everyone of my customer is an Italian native like me who is knowledgeable about food and picky when it comes to flavors. Buon appetito!