joe sparatta

A native of the garden state of New Jersey, Joe was born into a family of chefs, and took up the craft at an early age. It was not until he began working at The Ryland Inn under Chef Craig Shelton that he truly found his passion. It was here that he met his wife and partner Emilia. Together they helped long time friend Scott Anderson open the highly acclaimed Elements restaurant in Princeton. After a number of years the pair decided to come to Richmond and be a part of the growing food scene. Since it’s opening in 2012, Heritage has garnered numerous accolades including: Chef & Restaurant of the Year Elby's 2015, Star Chefs Rising Star Winner 2014 Washington DC area, Southern Living's 100 Best Restaurants in the South 2014, and Richmond Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2013. Joe was awarded the Elby award for Chef of the Year again in 2018.
In his latest project, Sparatta has teamed up with fellow 2014 D.C. Rising Star and “Chef of the Year” Elby winner Lee Gregory of The Roosevelt, and local Richmond farmer Matt Gottwald to open Southbound. This seasonally driven, upscale casual eatery Bon Appetit has recognized Southbound as one of "America's Best New Restaurants 2015". Most recently Southbound won the 2016 "Best New Restaurant" Elby award.