Five days. That’s all the time executive chef Fabio Capparelli had after The Main in Downtown Norfolk received its health permit to open the doors at Saltine, Varia and Grain. Whew. Capparelli lived at the hotel for a month while his team worked around the clock.

“I’ve worked in hospitality for many years and opened many restaurants, but I’d never opened three restaurants in one day,” admitted Capparelli during a sit down at Varia last week. It’s even more amazing when you consider that he had no prior knowledge of the area before he traveled here from Chicago for his first interview.