Best Italian And Spanish Food Restaurant

BOTANYA’S KITCHEN

Botanya features Italian cuisine with Spanish fusion created using high quality regional and imported ingredients, taking you on a culinary exploration of your taste buds. At Botanya, we offer multiple courses throughout our menu: Stuzzichini, Aperitivos, Primi, and Secondi. Our vision is to deliver a menu and experience that is a bit more unique than what you would have in a normal restaurant: smaller appetizer, larger main course, followed by a dessert. Our portions across the menu are not intended to be too small or too large, but rather allow you to choose various dishes from each section and be able to share it with your partner, friend, or family. We believe this makes dining with us at Botanya a unique and memorable experience. Our goal is not to be known as an Italian & Spanish fusion concept, but to be remembered as an experience where bites melt in your mouth with the emphasis on the tastes and freshness of all ingredients. Each dish at Botanya has a unique story of origin. All of our pastas are homemade daily using eggs from local Virginia farms, formed with a Mattarello before shaping or stuffing. We import the finest Semolina flour and spices from Europe. Additionally, we offer a variety of imported and local cured/smoked meats and cheeses such as: pork from Autumn Olive Farms, beef from Seven Hills, and the freshest seafood purveyors in the local area.

THE TEAM

FREDDY VASQUEZ

Born in northern Virginia to Bolivian parents, food has always been an important part of Freddy Vasquez’s culture. He has worked about every job in a restaurant from bartender to chef, giving him a deep understanding of how all the components come together for an exceptional guest experience. Freddy has had the privilege of working in some of the best restaurants across the country, from Hilton Head, SC, to Denver, CO. He credits finding his true passion – local, seasonal, farm to table food – to his mentor Paul Warthen of Potager. Just as the pandemic started, Freddy and his wife decided it was time to return home to Virginia, where he helped launch Brambly Park and Continental Manchester. His culinary journey has led him to Botanya, where he is excited to share his love and respect for Italian and Spanish cuisine with the Richmond community.

OWNERSHIP/MANAGEMENT

Born in Venezuela, and raised with Spanish & Italian cultural influences, Fabiana Calandriello has worked in the hospitality industry for many years, excelling at service as a bartender, waiter and a barista. Fabiana has always led with her passion and love for the hospitality industry. What started as a hobby for her quickly became her career. She believes that being a good server is not the number of tables waited or the amount of tips each day, but a good server is one who upholds professionalism, excellence, attention to detail, and knowledge of the restaurant. She strives to improve each day, learning more and growing within the hospitality industry.

Kunal Shah launched his career in the Entertainment industry in 2000 by developing a high-end luxury event planning company called Night Life Agency. With his passion for the hospitality industry he opened 10 locations under the name of LX Group 10 locations/Brands, Karma DC, home 2 Hilton sterling, casta’s RVA, Kabana Rooftop, Monroe Rooftop, Juan’s Rooftop, Switch Pop-up Bar, Nama Restaurant, Vortex Lighting and Design, Ember ( coming soon).

Now Kunal Shah Decided to go into the fine dining life, and started a new concept under the name of Blossom RVA with his Manager partner Fabiana Calandriello. They Both Build BOTANYA RESTAURANT, with Fabiana’s experience over 3 countries into fine dining hospitality, and Kunal’s Shah 23 years of experience into Businesses develop, Restaurants, and bar. A combination of European style by Fabiana, and American Style by Kunal Shah. BOTANYA RESTAURANT was built to be a brand and not just a Restaurant, but also explore into the marchandise world, and open up more locations with this Beautiful concept, they both want to definitely spread this nice concept into more cities, and reach out to more dinners.