Trained in Bergamo, Italy, by some of the region's most noted chefs, Marc Vetri brings a bold, contemporary sensibility to classic Italian cooking. Within two years of opening his eponymous Philadelphia restaurant, Vetri was named one of Food & Wine's Ten Best New Chefs and received the Philadelphia Inquirer's highest restaurant rating. In 2005, Vetri won the James Beard Award for "Best Chef Mid-Atlantic." Vetri opened Vetri, his intimate fine-dining restaurant in the heart of Center City Philadelphia in 1998. February 2007, Marc opened Osteria just north of Center City at 640 North Broad Street. Osteria was nominated for “Best New Restaurant” in 2008 by James Beard Foundation. In January 2010, Vetri opened his third restaurant, Amis, located in Washington Square at 412 South 13th Street. Inspired by Rome’s neighborhood trattorias, this smaller but energetic restaurant specializes in small plates such as handcrafted pastas and house cured meats. In November 2010, Bon Appetit named Amis one of the top “10 Places for Pasta” in the country. Marc’s latest venture, Alla Spina, an Italian gastropub also located on North Broad Street, opened February 2012. Vetri is actively involved in many philanthropic causes. In 2009, Marc and his business partner, Jeff Benjamin, created the Vetri Foundation for Children. Its mission is to promote healthy living styles among at-risk youth. Vetri and Benjamin are also the founders of the “Great Chefs Event,” which brings together scores of the country’s greatest chefs to raise money and awareness for the pediatric cancer charity, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.