antimo dimeo, executive chef
At just 30 years old Chef Antimo DiMeo is breaking Italian culinary traditions by showcasing modern techniques and flavors, while adhering to the principles and ideals he learned from cooking with his Italian family.
Born and raised in the Greater Philadelphia area, DiMeo began working at his family’s Neapolitan pizzerias as soon as he was allowed and quickly figured out what he wanted to do with his life. DiMeo enriched his culinary skills while working for Italy’s Michelin-starred Chef Gennaro Esposito of Torre del Saracino on the Amalfi Coast, and at IT Ibiza. Chef Esposito, a fundamental force within the avant-garde movement of Italian cuisine, inspired DiMeo to bring those influences back to the United States in 2012 when he cooked at the acclaimed Arde Osteria in Wayne, PA.
In 2018 DiMeo opened Bardea Food & Drink in Wilmington, Delaware. Bardea, the Italian term for "the goddess of food and drink,” features DiMeo’s modern interpretations of traditional Italian and Mediterranean dishes using local ingredients. Bardea, which is arguably downtown Wilmington’s culinary pioneer, earned a semifinalist nomination from the James Beard Foundation in 2019 for Best New Restaurant, and instantly put Wilmington’s food scene on the map. The Delaware Restaurant Association named Antimo a “Restaurant Industry Rising Star “ also in 2019.
In 2022 Chef DiMeo was nominated for The Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Mid Atlantic. In the Summer of 2022 the Bardea Restaurant Group opened Bardea Steak, a boutique steakhouse for the 21st century, which was named one of Vogue Magazine’s Most Anticipated Openings of 2022.
In addition to Bardea Food & Drink and Bardea Steak, DiMeo co-owns fast casual concepts Pizzeria Bardea and Taqueria El Chingon, located in downtown Wilmington’s first food hall, DE.CO.
An outdoor concept, “The Garden,” opened in May 2023.