A PALISADES RESTAURANT RISES AGAIN

A YEAR AFTER THE FIRE, A LOCAL-FAVORITE ITALIAN RESTAURANT REOPENS IN VENICE

- BY JENN HARRIS

THE PATIO at Cinque Terre West in Venice is petite but cozy, with a handful of tables and counter seating that offer a prime view into the bustling kitchen.

Nestled onto a busy stretch of Rose Avenue, it feels smaller and even livelier than the original Cinque Terre West, a local favorite in the Gardens at Palisades strip mall in the center of the town.

But the chef gliding from one end of the kitchen to the other, pan-frying veal chops, draining fresh pasta and dimpling pans of focaccia, is still a smiling Gianbattista “Gianba” Vinzoni.

Vinzoni and his wife, Marlo, who lost multiple businesses in the Palisades fire, and whose home was also damaged, are once again starting to feel like part of a thriving community.

Photographs by GENARO MOLINA Los Angeles Times

The two reopened Cinque Terre West, the restaurant they first introduced to the Palisades in 2019, in Venice at the end of June.

The bright blue facade is a beacon of hope at a time when many residents and business owners are still caught in the difficult process of rebuilding after the fires.

“Even before we opened, when we were working on the space, people came to welcome us to the neighborhood,” says Marlo. “They said they wanted to help us build a new community here in Venice.”

Gianba, who grew up in the Cinque Terre region of Italy, always dreamed of owning his own restaurant. After running the kitchen in places like Soho House, the Beverly Hilton and Fig and Olive, he and Marlo opened Cinque Terre West with a menu inspired by his family’s Ligurian roots. Two years later came Enoteca 5 wine bar in the same Palisades shopping center, followed by Deliziozo Cinque bakery and cafe in 2023.