Civico 1845’s Builds New Vegan Menu With Famed Italian Chef Luca Zannoni | Restaurant’s February 24 Unveiling Will Raise Money For The Humane League

New Polpettine di Miglio in Tre Salse
February 12, 2016

Little Italy's Civico 1845 has brought renowned Italian/vegan chef Luca Zannoni to San Diego to help design its new Spring incarnation of its vegan menu. With a resume that includes creating menus for restaurants and hotels across the globe - including the Grand Hotel Rimini, Harry’s Bar in London and Il Bacco Ristorante in New York - Zannoni has cultivated an international reputation as an expert in organic, vegetarian and vegan cooking.

“Our vegan menu has been a major differentiator for us and a huge part of the restaurant’s success,” said Pietro Gallo, who serves as Civico 1845’s vegan chef. “I have known Zannoni for years and am excited to work with him to create dishes our customers will love. Our partnership will help Civico 1845 become the standard for vegan Italian cuisine in San Diego.”

Dishes on the spring vegan menu will include new items and updated versions of the restaurant’s classic offerings, such as the lasagna and ravioli. New additions include Polpettine di Miglio in Tre Salse (vegan meatballs in three sauces), Risotto al Radicchio (risotto with radicchio lettuce, cabbage and caraway seeds) and Crostata di Nocciole e Amarene (a cherry and hazelnut tart).

Risotto al Radicchio
On Wednesday, Feb. 24, the restaurant will unveil the menu and donate 10 percent of the day’s vegan proceeds to The Humane League, a national organization with a San Diego chapter that reduces animal suffering by inspiring change at all levels for farmed animals. Reservations for this one-day event are encouraged, as seats are likely to fill quickly.

Currently, Zannoni serves as the President of the Association of Chefs of Forli and Cesena - an instructor of organic and health-conscious cooking at I.P.S.S.E.O.A. Forlimpopoli (the Hospitality Professional Institute)m as well as a chef at the Oncology Institute Romagnolo, working on an initiative that focuses on healthy diets as a first line of defense against cancer.

Since the restaurant’s July 2015 opening, owners Dario and Pietro Gallo found Civico 1845’s vegan offerings to be even more popular than originally anticipated - accounting for nearly 30 percent of the restaurant’s overall revenue. OpenTable named Civico 1845 one of the top 50 vegan friendly restaurants in the U.S. in October 2015.

Civico 1845 is located at 1845 India Street in Little Italy. For more information, visit civico1845.com.