Emily Finne
Emily is the owner of the restaurant and the chef. After growing up in the restaurant business in Germany (Michele is her stepfather), she struck out on her own and ended up in Albany, New York. She started a 2-year apprenticeship (think: Hell’s Kitchen) in Nicole’s Bistro with Chef Dan Smith in February 2002. By the end of 2004, she had completed her training, graduated from the French Culinary Institute and began working in Manhattan: The Danube in Tribeca and Eleven Madison Park. In 2007 her next stop was Table 8 in South Beach, which ultimately led her to Il Mercato.
Emily was born in Boulder, Colorado, grew up in Regensburg, Germany, and spent summers in Bergen, Norway. She speaks English, German, Norwegian and some Italian. Her passion is cooking fresh, healthy food to improve peoples’ lives. She is devoted to her sons Connor (8) and William (born May 8, 2016!) and to exercising, reading and acquiring knowledge and insight for its own sake.
