About us
Why Cichi's Ristobistrot?
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is “Why is it called Cichi's Ristobistrot?”. Our origins can be found in our roots. Chef Christian was just a teen, discovering his passion for cooking.
When he was 15, his 18 year-old brother, Emiliano, had just graduated from hotel and catering school and decided to open his own café in Bagnaia: Bar Fabbrizi.
Christian was the baby of the family and was still studying, but was also very involved in the café, so much so that he became its mascot.
The bar was going at full steam and had become the “cheeky” pre-drinks meeting point for many people in the area before a fun night out in Viterbo.
They gave Christian the nickname “Cichi”, and everyone had come to refer to the café as “Cichi’s café”.
In school, Martina and Christian were building a solid friendship, which is the backbone of their support for each other in work and in life. After graduating, the friendship had blossomed into something deeper - the start of their love story.
Aged 20, after Christian and his brother decided to close the family café, the chef went to Uni, studying in the day and working as a bartender, waiter and caterer at night. Hospitality and the food industry have always played an important part in his life and have always been his passion.
When Martina moved to the United States for work, Christian stayed in Italy, studying and working. Their long-distance relationship was made up of all the moments they could carve out for each other and of plans of their future life together. When Christian obtained his university degree, he decided to move to Canada. The US wasn’t suitable for him, but at least the couple could finally be in the same time zone.
In Canada, his passion for food allowed him to find his place easily, starting off working in a lovely bakery. Their lives, although closer to one another, were becoming more and more complex and their relationship was staring to bear the brunt. So Martina decided to get a bus from the US to Canada, regardless of the amount of luggage she was carrying, which caused havoc at the border!
The morning after arriving in Canada, Martina was already a busy bee, working at the school behind the bakery. After years of being apart and of sacrifices, their life together had finally started.
To maximise the time they were spending together, Martina got a job at the same restaurant where Chris was working in the evenings. The dynamic service, being public-facing and the team she was working with made her feel like she had found her place, both at work and in life.
Canada was the perfect place for them: warm, welcoming people, care for one another and for family; it was the perfect environment to grow strong friendships and start thinking about a family of their own. And just like so many elements of their story together, no sooner had they thought about starting a family than they made a discovery: they were expecting Nicole.
After the baby was born, they decided to travel back to Italy, so that their parents and relatives could meet the newborn. They couldn’t wait to hold her in their arms. While they were in Italy, in their families’ attempt to convince them to stay, they showed them an old farm shed to renovate, which could have potentially become a lovely restaurant. Chris was enthusiastic about the idea, but Martina was unsure, having grown so fond of their life in Canada. But without even saying a word, they knew what the right decision was: go for it! It was the right time, Nicole was so tiny and they were still young.
The renovation started full steam ahead, with them commuting from Canada. Chris completed his training at the Boscolo Etoile in Tuscania to become a chef and there it was, nothing else left but picking the name of their dream place. They wanted a name that meant something, that spoke about their story. Martina came up with the idea of Cichi’s Ristobistrot. What could be better than the nickname that was given to Chris by those who had known him and had learned to appreciate his skills?
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