Saratoga, New York, native Matt Vinetti brought years of culinary experience to the kitchens of Northeast Pennsylvania when he transplanted to the area to oversee the Woodloch properties in Hawley. He then worked at Camelot Restaurant & Inn, Clarks Summit, before he took up the mantle of executive chef for Dupont eatery Arturo’s Restaurant. Since shifting his talents to the Downvalley, Vinetti has made it his mission to turn Arturo’s into a destination spot with his contemporary twists on classical Italian cuisine.

“It seemed like a good project. So far, we’ve had good luck,” Vinetti said. “I think this area wants something more than pierogies and raviolis, especially when I can throw a rock and hit five places with the same thing.” But Vinetti knows his audience has its beloved traditions, and so he made sure to simply tweak much-celebrated dishes with flair instead of banishing them outright. “I took existing local favorites and refined them a little, so you can still come for your favorite Parm or Francaise,” he said. “I started in Italian and branched out into American bistro-style and Asian-fusion. A lot of my cuisine is the greatest hits of my career.