Missy Robbins

Executive Chef Missy Robbins oversees both A Voce Madison as well as A Voce Columbus. Her cuisine focuses on simplicity, highlighting flavorful ingredients and referencing traditions from diverse regions throughout Italy. It was not until shortly before graduating from Georgetown University that Missy turned her passion for food into a career. She took a part-time job at 1789 restaurant and became hooked. In October 1994, Robbins moved to Manhattan to attend the Peter Kump’s New York School of Cooking. She worked at Arcadia immediately out of cooking school and after a year and a half, went on to work for Wayne Nish at March for a couple years. Robbins moved on to The Lobster Club before traveling to Northern Italy where she fell in love with the cuisine. Upon her return to the United States, Robbins became a sous chef and later the chef de cuisine at the boutique SoHo Grand Hotel. Robbins moved to Chicago in 2003 to work with former Top Chef Master himself, Tony Mantuano. As Executive Chef of Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia, Robbins was responsible for menu development and leading the kitchen on a daily basis. She also regularly cooked for the Obamas. During her tenure at Spiaggia, the restaurant was nominated by The James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Restaurant nationally in both 2006 and 2007, and for Outstanding Service in 2008. In 2010, Robbins was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs. Under Missy’s direction, A Voce Madison earned a Michelin star in October 2009 and retained its one-star rating through 2011, while A Voce Columbus earned its first Michelin star in October 2010 in its first year of eligibility, also retaining that rating for 2011.