The most exciting restaurant to open in Ashland for more than a year builds on an award-winning chef’s four decades in the industry. Davide Ghizzoni was executive chef for Ca’ Del Sol near Universal Studios in Southern California’s Studio City before the coronavirus pandemic curtailed the restaurant’s special events, which his wife, Sherri, managed.

The couple’s career hardships ultimately provided the push they needed to strike out on their own with Osteria La Briccola. Relocating to Oregon brought the Ghizzonis closer to their son and Sherri’s parents. And the former Calle Guanajuato location of Loft and Eleven on the Creek afforded the ideal venue for chef Ghizzoni’s classical cuisine from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, where his family is rooted.