Steve Samson is chef and owner of Rossoblu and Superfine Pizza, both located in downtown Los Angeles’ City Market South. Opened in 2017, Rossoblu is an ode to the two cities which have most influenced his career: his hometown, Los Angeles, and his mother’s, Bologna, Italy. Superfine, which opened in 2018, melds New York and Neapolitan styles with Southern California’s bountiful produce to create a true Angeleno-style pizza. With an eye toward new and exciting projects, Steve, along with his wife Dina and their partner at Rossoblu, Hans Luttmann, have recently created the Mighty Nice Hospitality Group.
In his final listing of Los Angeles’ 101 best restaurants, Jonathan Gold named Rossoblu one of the city’s ten best restaurants. Robb Report also named it one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in America. Steve and Dina previously owned and operated the beloved Southern Italian restaurant, Sotto. During its eight-year run, Sotto earned much acclaim, including being named LA’s best new restaurant by Los Angeles Magazine and being one of Esquire Magazine’s Best New U.S. Restaurants.
Samson started his culinary career after attending New York’s Institute of Culinary Education. After cooking in New York City and Maine, he found a mentor in lauded restaurateur Piero Selvaggio. Steve first helped open Selvaggio’s Valentino Las Vegas and would eventually become the executive chef of the flagship, Valentino in Santa Monica. During Samson’s tenure, Valentino received a Michelin star, was nominated for a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award and received a glowing three-star review from the LA Times. Piero also helped Steve stage at some of Italy’s best restaurants, including Dal Pescatore, La Torre del Saraceno, and Sicily’s Il Duomo.
Despite his professional success, nothing means more to Steve than his family. He and Dina live on the west side of Los Angeles with their twins, Gaia and Luca, who love to travel, eat, and cook as much as their parents do.