My partners wanted to do a to-go sandwich place. Having been a private chef in L.A. for about ten years I was, like, listen, sandwiches are not going to fly here,” said chef Nina Clemente, as she sat on a stool in her newly-opened Di Alba restaurant in the Arts District. The Italy-born, New York-raised chef, who was sporting a denim apron and her hair pulled back, added, “Everyone loves a good sandwich but this is like the capital of the celiacs phenomenon, let’s call it.”

Instead, Clemente came up with a counter proposal: How about a focacceria? "My ode to Los Angelenos. It’s more like an open-faced sandwich,” she said. Her partners, the founders of The Smile, readily agreed.