For Her Next Restaurant, Jody Adams Is Debuting a Luxe Italian Villa in Back Bay

Acclaimed chef and restauranteur Jody Adams — who oversees a small empire of Boston-area restaurants including upscale Greek spot Trade downtown, coastal Italian restaurant Porto in Back Bay, and the Greek fast-casual chain Saloniki — is adding another restaurant to her lineup. Along with business partners Eric Papachristos and Jon Mendez, Adams is opening a glitzy new Italian restaurant called La Padrona inside Raffles, the high-end hotel and residencies brand making its U.S. debut this year at 40 Trinity Place in Back Bay.

La Padrona is modeled after a “grand Italian villa,” according to a rep for the project, and will include a ground-floor bar and lounge and a glamorous, second-floor restaurant connected by an imposing staircase. The menu will travel through all of Italy, with stop-offs in Sicily, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont to highlight regional pasta, seafood, cheeses, and more. The restaurant will be opening in December, according to the team.

Adams is heading up the project along with executive chef Amarilys Colon, who currently leads the kitchen at Porto.