John "Guido" Magnacca C.E.C.

One could say spaghetti sauce runs through the veins of Chef Guido’s family.  His grandfather, Luciano Cenci, opened an Italian "corner" grocery store on Fifth Ave in Grandview in the 1930's.  Grandfather Luciano had arrived from the little town of Vastogirardi in Italy and brought with him the family recipe for spaghetti sauce. On days when Grandfather Luciano and his friends would play cards and drink wine in the back of the store, he would cook spaghetti with meatballs and sausage. As the years went by, that little store front evolved into what was considered "The Italian Restaurant” in the early 40's and 50's.

“I used to go in and watch my mother and uncle cook when I was around 7 or 8 years old. I loved the smells, the activity and, of course, the food. From that point on, I was hooked on cooking. I was literally raised in a kitchen and at thirteen I started working on weekends with my stepfather who was also a Chef,” recalls Guido.  His parents opened an Italian restaurant in Grandview called Giovanni's, which was quite popular for nearly a decade.

  After leaving the family business, Guido became a Certified Executive Chef and opened a little place across from the convention center called Guido's Speakeasy, a roaring 20's themed restaurant. Along the way, he has held positions as Sous chef at The Country Club in Muirfield, and Executive Chef at Salvis Bistro and Vito's Italian Pub before opening Cimi’s Bistro at Pinnacle Golf Club as Executive Chef in 2008 to 2023. 

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"With over 4 decades of practical experience there isn't much I haven't seen in this business. Knowing what to avoid when starting-up is critical to success, I enjoy the challenge and excitement of optimizing a kitchen, implementing food/labor cost controls and preparing the staff to succeed". 

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