At V1A we’re passionate about pasta, but not as passionate as Dario Monni, the owner and head chef of Tortello in Chicago. Through sitting down with Dario we discovered a rich and unique story which we turned into a mini-doc featuring Dario’s roots in Italy and his humble beginnings starting his own restaurant tucked into Chicago’s Wicker Park that makes handmade pasta daily.

Dario Monni created something unique with Tortello. When you walk through the doors of this storefront it really takes you somewhere. We wanted to create a video that really mirrored Dario’s passion. Often you will hear people joke while out eating at an Italian restaurant and say “I feel like I’m in Italy”, but Tortello really does offer this experience. No matter how busy the restaurant is Dario always seems to be out on the floor talking with customers about where these recipes came from, or what local farms he’s working with to get the best quality ingredients.

When we sat down to talk about video development – a mini-documentary approach seemed so appropriate. We instantly saw such a rich personal story. Over weeks of meetings, getting to know the brand, and hearing stories about Dario’s summers spent in Sardinia we put together a piece that takes you beyond the restaurant and into one person’s dream.