Passaggio has some pretty big shoes to fill. The new flagship restaurant of JW Marriott Tucson Star Pass Resort and Spa replaced the award-winning Primo in early October. Primo, which opened in 2005, was a concept by executive chef Melissa Kelly, a two-time James Beard award winner.

David Fransua, executive chef and food and beverage director, has worked at Star Pass since the beginning of 2017. He said the parting between Kelly and the resort was a mutual decision.