Chef Antimo DiMeo is a James Beard–recognized chef known for pushing Italian cuisine forward—layering modern techniques and bold, contemporary flavors onto the deep traditions he learned cooking alongside his Italian family. Born and raised in the Greater Philadelphia area, Antimo got his start in his family’s Neapolitan pizzerias, where he quickly realized the kitchen was where he belonged.
He went on to sharpen his craft in Italy, working under Michelin-starred Chef Gennaro Esposito at Torre del Saracino on the Amalfi Coast, and later at IT Ibiza—experiences that helped shape his adventurous, boundary-breaking approach to Italian cooking. In 2012, Antimo brought those influences back home, joining the team at acclaimed Arde Osteria in Wayne, PA, where his modern point of view began turning heads.
In 2018, Antimo opened Bardea Food & Drink in downtown Wilmington, Delaware—named for the Italian “goddess of food and drink”—with a menu built around modern interpretations of Italian and Mediterranean dishes using local ingredients. Bardea quickly became a defining force in Wilmington’s dining scene, earning a James Beard Foundation semifinalist nomination for Best New Restaurant, along with recognition from the Delaware Restaurant Association as a Restaurant Industry Rising Star.
Since then, Antimo’s momentum has only grown. He was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2022 and 2025, and in 2022 he expanded the Bardea vision with Bardea Steak, a “boutique steakhouse for the 21st century”. Today, he continues to shape the region’s culinary landscape through the Bardea Restaurant Group, including Bardea Garden , Casa Nonna , Roost Pub & Kitchen , and the culinary operations of Wilmington’s DE.CO Food Hall —all anchored by his signature style: innovative, confident, and rooted in family.
We can’t wait to travel with Antimo to Italy, where his modern, technique-driven take on Italian tradition will feel right at home.
