On Thursday, Conshy Girls Restaurant Group announced that Simone Calonaci has been named chef at Gypsy Saloon in West Conshohocken. Calonaci was born and raised in Florence, Italy and has 20 years of experience in Tuscan cuisine.

Chef Calonaci will incorporate his Tuscan-roots into Gypsy Saloon’s menu with dishes like the Burrata Salad fresh tomato and extra virgin olive oil ($10), Crespelle, spinach ricotta crepes, red sauce, bechamel sauce, and parmesan ($22); and Spaghetti Carbonara with egg, pecorino, pancetta, parmesan, black pepper ($18). Additional dishes are:

Seasonal Soufflé seasonal vegetables, three cheese sauce, topped with bacon ($10);

Linguini with Three Tomatoes Sauce, sundried, cherry and plum tomatoes ($18);

Homemade Italian Ragu, fettuccine with veal ragu ($24);

Grilled Octopus cauliflower cream mashed, radicchio, marinated mussels ($24);

Pork Loin homemade sauce, sautéed peppers, tomato, onion salad ($26).

Calonaci’s dream was to work in the United States, where he felt there were better opportunities for his family and also to be closer to wife Hilary’s family. He learned of the opportunity at Gypsy Saloon, through his wife’s parents, who were fans of owners Marianne Gere, Kim Strengari and Michael Golden’s restaurants. Simone offered to do a tasting and was hired on the spot.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Chef Calonaci to our restaurant family, says  Strengari. “We are loving the authentic Tuscan dishes that Simone has incorporated into Gypsy’s menu and look forward to watching his menu change with the seasons.”

Reservations are available online. Gypsy Saloon and the other Conshy Girls Restaurants are offering a gift card promotion through December 24th. You can take advantage of the special offer by clicking here or the image below (that has all the details):