Augie Arifi emigrated to Chicago from Albania in 1970 with his family when he was three. Like his father, Sam, and brother Bobby, who have shared ownership and management of Cafe Lucci since December 1995, he has always been passionate about the restaurant business. He began his restaurant odyssey as a busboy when he was 14.  In 1991, Augie and Bobby were recruited by Alex Dana, owner of the Rosebud Restaurant Group. Augie worked virtually every position in the house at all three of Dana’s restaurants while attending the University of Illinois at Chicago. Describing himself as an “all-purpose utility man,” Augie opened Centro in May 1991 and Rosebud on Rush in February 1992. He received his training as a chef under Bobby Walsh at Rosebud on Rush.  In 1992, he also earned his bachelor of science degree in finance from University of Illinois Chicago and spent several months as captain at Cafe La Cave. Prior to his years at Rosebud, Augie worked at Ristorante Agostino (1986-1991), gaining valuable experience in the front of the house and in the kitchen as a cook.

As a chef, Augie refuses to be pigeonholed into one slot. He says, “Although we do a wonderful variety of Italian dishes from many regions, I also incorporate other cooking styles in my preparations – bits of French, Mediterranean or American. I want Cafe Lucci to be known for its fine cuisine, whatever the origin. My primary goal is to please my customers with innovative cooking and top-quality, fresh ingredients served in warm, friendly surroundings.”

Chef on the Go

Helping to establish Cafe Lucci as a major presence on the North Shore and as a destination restaurant are Augie’s frequent chef demo appearances, including Bloomingdale’s (Old Orchard), Treasure Island (Clybourn and Lake Bluff), the Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Great Chef’s Series” (Glencoe), “Cooking with Chicago’s Great Chefs” (class and Glenview cable TV) and Williams-Sonoma (Northbrook Court), as well as participation in the American Cancer Society’s “Taste of Elegance.”

Chef Augie's TV appearances have included cooking segments on WMAQ,Ch. 5 "Weekend News" and “Chicago Daytime,” ABC 7 "Weekend News," CLTV “Good Eating,” WFLD-Ch. 32 “Fox Thing in the Morning,” and WTTW-Ch. 11 “Chicago Tonight Supper Club.”