October 9, 2026As the chef and co-owner of Frevo, the Michelin-starred Greenwich Village jewel-box restaurant, the Brazilian-born Franco Sampogna has a lot on his proverbial plate. But beyond his considerable professional duties, he’s also currently gutting and reconceiving a high-ceilinged loft-like apartment in the Flatiron District with the help of 1stDibs 50 designer Billy Cotton.
Here, a short walk from the Union Square Greenmarket, Sampogna is crafting the (home) kitchen of his dreams, which, together with the contiguous open living and dining spaces will make up roughly two-thirds of the loft. At this early stage of the project, the design is still coming together, but Sampogna has already made a few key decisions: The countertops will be soapstone, and the appliances will come from the noted German maker Gaggenau. “Appliances have to perform. They have to deliver what we need from them,” he says. “Gaggenau is going to do what they do best — combining functionality and beauty into their design.”
Much of Sampogna’s vision for his home has been shaped by his experience at Frevo, which he opened in 2019 with his business partner, Bernardo Silva. It earned a Michelin star three years later and has kept it. The restaurant has a bit of a speakeasy feel, with guests entering through an art gallery, where Silva mounts a new exhibition every four months. “Each time we change the art gallery, we create a dish that is inspired by the artist,” Sampogna says.
A hidden door opens onto an intimate dining room and a counter facing an open kitchen. The chefs greet guests and talk them through the evening in moments between preparing the food. Music plays just a little louder than at most Michelin-starred restaurants. In Sampogna’s view, this contributes to a less formal atmosphere that, combined with the open kitchen, gives the room more energy.
“The interior of the first version of Frevo wasn’t as intentional as we would have liked,” he says, explaining how owning the restaurant has given him an education in design. In 2023, he and Silva brought in Rockwell Group to rethink the space along with L’Observatoire International, which created a new lighting scheme. The team made a long list of changes involving everything from the bathroom to the shelving. The counter presented a problem. It was marble, and once the new lights were installed above it, the light bounced off the stone and into guests’ eyes. The designers replaced it with rich-hued walnut. “It blew my mind,” Sampogna says, “to see how much it could change the way you experience a space.”
He has been fascinated with lighting ever since and says he now notices right away when little thought has gone into the illumination of a space — singling out in particular dining rooms that are “so dark your head starts spinning.” In contrast, he says, “You want someone to walk into a room and think, ‘I look good here.’ When you look at yourself in a mirror, you should be happy with your reflection.” Sampogna gives similarly detailed attention to the sound in rooms. At Frevo, for instance, leather-paneled walls and carpet absorb much of the noise.
Sampogna’s apartment kitchen will be open to the living and dining spaces, so the finishes he chooses for it will have to work with their lighting and colors. “The kitchen’s performance and appearance are equally important,” he says. That’s why he decided on a steam oven, with sous-vide capability and a warming drawer, from Gaggenau’s handsome and high-performing new Expressive series. “Alongside that, we have Gaggenau’s Vario cooling refrigerator and the Vario 400 series cooktop. They work beautifully together,” Sampogna says. “Cooking is moving increasingly toward electricity and away from gas, which has been typical in America. When you have a high-performing electric cooktop that’s also easy to maintain, it’s amazing.”
Sampogna’s home entertaining is straightforward: Canapes, dips and other shared fare should be ready before anyone arrives. He already has a few dishes planned for his first dinner parties in the new apartment, including short ribs steamed for 48 hours and fish poached in oil. Both these techniques depend on steady, even heat. For that, he says, “you need an oven that performs well and that you can trust.”
As his guests move from cocktails to the main course, all Sampogna will have to do is warm and plate the entrees, which he’ll place in the center of the table for everyone to share, family-style. Besides meat and fish, he likes to offer dishes, like risotto with vegetables, that, he says, “not everyone necessarily knows how to do well.”
No detail escapes Sampogna at either his restaurant or his home. “I’m particular about glassware and plates, and they can help make the table feel more comfortable or romantic,” he says. “I have always loved beautiful objects and art. And that became more evident while I was working with Alain Ducasse in Paris — he had an obsession with serveware. I believe that beautiful plates, cutlery and glasses do make a difference. At the apartment, we will use Hering Berlin serveware and Josephinenhütte’s Josephine wine glasses — I am a big fan.”
Sampogna confesses that he, like most people, can have a twinge of anxiety about home entertaining. “If you’re going to have dinner at the home of a Michelin-starred chef, there’s a certain amount of pressure,” he says with a laugh. “If the food is bad, people are going to tell their friends.”
Sampogna’s other current project is a new restaurant that’s set to open next spring on Grove Street, not far from Frevo. Cotton is designing that, too. The menu will draw on the Southern European influences Sampogna absorbed during his decade working and traveling abroad, the dishes served family-style for the table to share, just as at his home.
That home, he says, has already required a lot of time and attention, two things this talented young chef has in short supply. “But I’m from Brazil, so I like a party. And I love to entertain.”