Business & Tech

Yorktown Chef Opens First Restaurant in Larchmont

Nick Di Bona, who was born and raised in Yorktown, grew up in an Italian-American home that was filled with delicious food that would automatically draw him into the kitchen. Now, he is the owner of his very first restaurant in Westchester.

Di Bona, 28, officially celebrated the grand opening of his New-American cuisine inspired Madison Kitchen on Sept. 25 in Larchmont.

"I always knew I wanted to open my own business," said Di Bona, who is following the entrepreneurial steps of his father Adam, who owns auto body shops in Bronxville. "I always knew I loved what I was doing."

Di Bona, who lives less than a mile away from Peter Pratt's Inn in Yorktown, began his culinary career as a busboy at that restaurant after he got his working papers at age 14. 

"I wanted a job and I naturally went to a restaurant," said Di Bona, who would often enjoy preparing his own food along with his two brothers after they got home from school. 

The 2003 Yorktown High School graduate said he was also part of the culinary program at BOCES in Yorktown. Once he got home from school, he would ride his bicycle to Peter Pratt's Inn to work as a busboy. 

He quickly worked his way up the ranks and became Sous Chef when he was 19. After rounding out his education at The Culinary Institute of America, he was soon promoted to Executive Chef. Within a year, Di Bona had helped Peter Pratt’s Inn earn a Zagat rating of 25, their highest rating to date.  

"I cared a lot," Di Bona said of his success at a young age. 

He called the Peter Pratt's Inn owner Jon Pratt a "great guy" from whom he learned a lot about the business. Being creative and young, Di Bona said he is not afraid to work the long hours a restaurateur has to endure. 

Madison Kitchen was designed by New York City-based Celano Design Studio. When you walk you, there is bar and lounge area that is separated by a bio-fueled, see-through fireplace creates an intimate vibe. It is complemented by the modern black tile feature wall and custom zinc bar top.

The vide of the restaurant, which seats 50 people, is "modern, sexy and harmonious," Di Bona said. 

"It's definitely beautiful," he said. "One thing we didn't want it to be is stuffy. It's really modern, it's really classy."

The cuisine he is serving is New American, inspired by an eclectic mix of food that can be found in Westchester and New York. He serves fresh and seasonal food, he said. 

"It's fine dining, but you have your Italian risotto and Asian tuna," Di Bona said.

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The Yorktown chef is scheduled to appear as a contestant on the Food Network Channel's "Chopped" on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 10 p.m. 

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Madison Kitchen is located at 7 Madison Avenue in Larchmont (a block away from the Larchmont train station). For more information call 914.732.3024.

It is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays. Happy Hour is Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 


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