Dellepiane is an Argentinian-owned and inspired restaurant serving food in a trendy, laid-back atmosphere. 

It serves farm to table, grass-fed Argentinian steaks, empanadas, burgers and more, including a full menu of plant-based options.  Located in the heart of Sedona Arizona, it serves tourists and locals daily and plays live music several times a week.  

As a former New Yorker, and now Sedona local It is personally my favorite restaurant in Sedona and I bring all my guests from out of town here.  I am primarily pescatarian/plant-based and Dellepiane offers the best options that are delicious and has me coming back weekly for the food and the service. 

Here’s what the owner, Tomas Agostino, had to say about his restaurant, his vision, and why you should visit.

If you had to describe Dellepiane in three words what would they be?

Organic – Comfort – Healthy.

Where did the idea for Dellepiane come from? And why did you decide on creating this business in Sedona?
Dellepiane started in 2014 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I created this restaurant as a burger joint and craft beer place in the downtown capital of Argentina. We won Best Burger in a meat festival called CARNE in 2016, that put us on the burger map in the whole country. In 2016 my wife and I decided that we didn’t want to stay living in a big city — instead, we were looking for a quiet place to live in the states. We end up in Arizona, and after 3 months in Scottsdale, we moved to Sedona. In 2017 I was opening my little restaurant in uptown Sedona.

What makes Dellepiane unique?

Dellepiane is one of not so many Argentine restaurants in Arizona, and so Sedona is lucky to have it.  We take care of what we serve. What we buy everyday is fresh, and 90% of our menu is no GMO, grass fed, organic. Our burgers are all made from scratch in the house. We grind the beef every day. We have a nice amount of empanadas options, and they are our biggest seller!

How did your roots influence your career path?

Well, I come from Italian roots. Both sides of my grandparents are Italian. We have this culture of eating a lot, eating all fresh, made from scratch. That’s how you get picky with food, when everything you eat is all homemade and made with love. 

Also I traveled and lived in many other countries in my life (Brazil, Spain, England) and I learned different cuisines. We cook a killer paella during the winter and summer season!

What would you say was the most important obstacle/challenge you had to overcome in getting to where you are today?

When living in Buenos Aires, my first restaurant was really small. I opened it with my savings and some help from the family, but we didn’t know how hard it was going to be at the beginning. We really struggled with money, but never with food. My wife was really supportive and helped me serve tables while I was in the kitchen, learning how to be a professional cook, after I fired my chef for not serving proper food.

That moment I stepped foot in the kitchen, I felt good, I had control of all the flavors, I had these crazy Ideas for specials, and suddenly all people seemed to love it and we had a good amount of customers! We never gave up, I worked from 6 am to 10 pm every day making sure we can have a better life.

What about aprendizajes? What is the most important thing you’ve learned along the way?

I learn something new every day. I learned that people talk when they eat good food, they can tell. Giving them a fresh, homemade experience is key. I learned not to diminish your work, or try to cut corners, with cheaper ingredients, and try to attract customers with crazy cheap deals… because you won’t make it. At some point, people will notice, customers will stop coming.

Restaurant business is never in the “Safe Zone”, you have to make sure everything is clean every day, everything is fresh, and everyone is happy (employees and customers).

If you had to give our readers financial advice for their businesses and/or start-ups what would it be?

Always start small, don’t stop dreaming about being big. But make sure you do as much as you can, instead of having extra staff that might empty your cash flow. Always have a salary that allows you to live, leave the rest in the company bank account and use that money to keep growing eventually.

Would you have done anything differently?

I guess I don’t know better, I’ve been in the Restaurant business since I was 17 years old. I know how to run restaurants, not much of a handyman. Sometimes you think, after putting a lot of hours every day at work, after having big payrolls and hefty rents…I think why didn’t I invest the money in real estate (Airbnb, short term rental)? But then I see the fun and the happiness in every guest faces. I see that I provide jobs for 20 + families, and that fills me more than anything! I have a great team!

Most of successful people are surrounded by people who inspire or help them reach their greatest potential. Who was that person (those people) for you?

La Nona Yita and El Nono Luis, my grandparents. They taught me how to eat properly and I learned how to cook because of them.

How do you balance professional and personal life?

I live really close to my business, which gives me a lot of quality of life. I walk my dogs down the street to the restaurant, I make sure we receive all the orders, and I keep walking my dogs in this beautiful town.

We open the restaurant together with the team. I make sure the kitchen has everything they need. And we plan the dinner specials, that’s always the fun part, it’s always different and breaks the routine. 

Now I have a new hobby, making pottery so I tried to take some time for that and build my own plates.

What would you say to Latinos/as who might want to start a business?

It’s definitely something to be proud of, not for myself, but for the whole Latin community. We are gaining the respect we need, we are hard workers, reliable people that can provide for this country with successful businesses. My message to other Latino brothers? Let’s stay together! Being a boss or employee shouldn’t make any difference. We are here to help each other and grow together!

How has the Latino community helped you? How have you helped the Latin community?

I help the Latino community by providing jobs, by making sure they stay out of trouble. Understanding how hard some people have it and trying to help as much as possible instead of shutting the doors in their faces. I have a lot of latino friends, from Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia….many places…and we are always making things together and they always helped, like that one time we lost my precious employee Edith Molina (RIP).  We made a fundraiser and all of my friends offered their services for a raffle. That was really touching.

Where do you see Dellepiane in 10 years? And yourself?

Dellepiane will be there for sure! Hopefully we can expand with some other locations selling our delicious empanadas in many other places in Arizona! I see myself living in a ranch, surrounded by animals and fresh produce! That would be a dream come true for me and my wife.

Located in:

The Collective Plaza, 7000 AZ-179 C-106, Sedona, AZ 86351

Dine in or order out, and come by for the weekly live music!

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