About as rock and roll as a chef could

Chef sam watroba

Chef Sam Watroba greeted me at the door of Sicilian Café in Chico with a warm smile and a friendly handshake. “Thanks for coming down!” He said as he pointed to the table he had set for us at the front of the restaurant, “Let’s grab a seat.” It was his birthday, and he was kind enough to take the time before prepping for dinner service to meet and discuss his journey.

Sam’s youthful appearance took me by surprise—bleached blonde hair, tousled and spiked, complemented his piercings and the Dua Lipa concert tee he wore under his espresso-colored blazer. He reached for his bright green Rebel energy drink from the nearby Dutch Bros with fingers polished to match, sat back in his chair and asked, “Whaddya wanna know?” The answer was, naturally, “Everything!”

Perhaps Sam’s youthful appearance came as such a surprise because of where we were sitting. As a frequenter of Sicilian Café over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing its owner, Chef James Taylor, a stately man who presents a significant juxtaposition to Sam’s rockstar styling. Though their appearances are worlds apart, one thing quickly became certain, they are both driven by the same purpose—to provide world-class customer service and a dining experience unique to Chico. Sam grew up in Paradise and made his way down the hill at 16 to work specifically for James at Sicilian Café. His father, also a chef and close friend of James, had spent many a year cooking with him at the restaurant’s original location on Walnut Street. “I started working as a dishwasher and within a few short months, James said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be working in the kitchen like your dad!’ I wasn’t going to argue, and I’ve been there ever since. Over the years, I’ve worked my way up to the chef position and been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of Chico’s best chefs throughout the process.”

Though Sam received the majority of his culinary training from James, he was also trained by Nathan Birdsill, one of Sicilian Café’s veteran cooks, and Will Brady of Banshee, B Street, and Bill’s Towne Lounge fame. “I was a picky kid.” Sam said, “I would barely eat anything. Working in a restaurant encouraged me to explore new flavors and develop my palate. I don’t know that there’s anything I haven’t or wouldn’t try at this point. I love putting complex flavors together and creating menu items that I would have never tried myself, like combining citrus and savory to build a prosciutto wrapped salmon with lemon beurre blanc or seared scallops with a blood-orange citrus glaze. I’ve served both as a special, and nothing is more satisfying than watching customers enjoy them!”

Visitors can count on more of those opportunities, with a new special being added to the menu each day. The remainder of Sicilian Café’s menu remains relatively constant, with the occasional special finding its way onto the dinner menu permanently. Their recent arancini special was one of these.

When pushed for his personal favorite cuisine, Sam responds, “I love authentic Japanese cuisine. There’s something about the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare authentic Japanese food. It’s the complete opposite of Sicilian cuisine, where the beauty is found in its simplicity. In the future, I would love to bring some of those elements—Japanese and Spanish inspired cooking methods—into some Italian dishes. I feel like the fusion of the styles could bring about something really special.”

Sam is also looking forward to making Sicilian Café’s menu more relatable to a younger crowd. Known for its 5-course dining experience, Sam would like to add the opportunity to experience their authentic Sicilian cuisine with an à la carte approach that also offers smaller bites and a tasting menu.

Asked what he loves most about working at Sicilian Café, Sam explained, “It’s a unique and magical experience you won’t get anywhere else in Chico. I hope to do my part to make that better and evolve that experience as time goes on. It’s a two-hour dining tradition that encourages you to truly be present with the people you love and appreciate their company. I couldn’t be more thankful to be part of it or for the trust and opportunities Chef James has provided me while working here. I couldn’t do what I do without my incredible Sous Chef Xavier and Prep Cook Brenden. They hustle to make sure our service is as close to perfect as possible each and every night.”

Sicilian Café is open from 5pm-8:30pm Tuesday through Thursday and 5pm-9:30pm Friday and Saturday. Stop by and see how the combination of talent from Chefs Sam and James creates a dining experience you won’t soon forget.