Fattoria

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Italian Cooking Rooted in the Rockies

Fattoria brings a genuinely Italian sensibility to the Vail Valley, grounded in the belief that great food begins long before it reaches the kitchen. The team grows fresh fruits and vegetables on-site — a bold move at Rocky Mountain altitude — tending the garden alongside the culinary crew to ensure that what arrives on the plate is as seasonal and local as the landscape allows. It is a farm-to-table commitment that shapes every service, from the stuzzichino placed in front of guests as they walk through the door to the parting pour of grappa or limoncello.

The Team Behind the Table

Fattoria is part of a small family of Avon restaurants built by partners James Pavelich, Noah Bender, and Steve Shelman. Pavelich opened Northside Kitchen in 2011 after a brief retirement; Bender, who grew up in New Hampshire and came west to ski, joined as chef and never left. Chef de Cuisine Julio Flores brings his own story to the kitchen — raised in his mother's restaurant in Honduras, he arrived in the US as a teenager, started cooking at Northside Kitchen, and worked his way up through the ranks. General Manager Derin Jones, shaped by Oklahoma's sense of community and the adventurous spirit of the Rockies, anchors the front of house. These are people with roots, and it shows in how the restaurant runs.

Wine as a Pillar

The wine program is taken seriously enough to have earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — recognition that reflects both the depth of the list and the care with which it is curated. That same passion spills into the restaurant's Winter Wine Tasting Series, held on Thursday afternoons in collaboration with winemakers and distributors from across the country. Each session pairs six wines with bites prepared by the culinary team, with the winemaker and chef both present to explain their choices. It is an unusually direct way to learn about wine, and it draws a loyal local crowd.

What to Expect

Dinner at Fattoria is Italian in spirit and Rocky Mountain in character — produce from the garden, a wine list recognized for its quality, and a team that has clearly thought about each step of the evening. The restaurant also hosts private parties and dedicated wine dinners, including producer-focused events that go deeper into single estates and grape varieties. For anyone seeking Italian cuisine in the Vail Valley with genuine substance behind it, Fattoria makes a compelling case.