Chefs/restaurateurs doesn’t usually start by owning their own kitchens. Freddy Underhill, owner of Amici Restaurant in St. Augustine Beach, had a roller coaster journey long before he and his wife Jenn purchased this well-known, family-owned establishment in March 2020. It wasn’t the most opportune month in American history, but their incredible family and small staff gathered together to breathe life into his dream. Together they brought it back into focus by winter 2022.

Chef Freddy’s philosophy of putting love into food began when he worked in a neighborhood pizzeria washing dishes as a 13-year-old in Newtown, Connecticut. Similar to an actor who “waits in the wings for that first break,” he was given chores that built his character — learning how to crack eggs, take orders, do food prep, and finally, he was given the reins to make a great pizza himself.