First look: Fontana Di Vino

by Cathy Martin | photographs by Justin Driscoll

Opening Fontana Di Vino was a sort of “rebirth” for Scott Leibfried, the chef and culinary consultant perhaps best-known as a sous chef on the first 10 seasons of the reality-TV series “Hell’s Kitchen.”

In 2012, the New York native teamed with musician Mick Fleetwood to open Fleetwood’s on Front Street in Maui. The restaurant was lost in the devastating 2023 wildfires that spread across the island. While Leibfried kept busy in recent years with product development and consulting projects with major brands like Formula 1 Grand Prix, Soho House and Marriott, the Italian spot at Sharon Square is his first restaurant venture in close to a decade.

Pinsas, pastas and a passion for all things Italy in SouthPark. 

Chef Scott Leibfried, left, photograph by Adam Rodrigues Photography

Leibfried and business partner Robert Maynard quietly opened Fontana in May, seeking to create a casual, neighborhood space for folks to share a pizza and a bottle of wine or enjoy a salad and a bowl of pasta. The restaurant is located in the space that previously housed Dogwood Southern Table and the short-lived Fox & Falcon by David Burke.

The soft opening allowed time for the team to gather feedback on the menu and make adjustments, the partners say. 

“We try to walk the line between doing what we set out to do as best we can but also listening to feedback in the community,” Leibfried says. Menu highlights include shareable dishes like mussels and meatballs, along with house-made pastas like pumpkin ravioli and a cacio e pepe tartufo with shaved Molise black truffles. 

Then there are the Roman-style pinsas, with toppings like mortadella, provolone, stracciatella and pistachios; roasted mushrooms, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella; or a simple caprese with roasted cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. The crispy, light and airy crust is thanks to a combination of wheat, soy and rice flour, making the dough less filling than traditional pizzas.

Right: Chocolate caramel tart

Steaks are USDA prime, and chops (porchetta and veal) are carved tableside. Another unique tableside dish is the polenta pour, a shareable board of Parmesan polenta topped with roasted mushrooms, rapini, meatballs and garlic spinach. 

Recent additions include a chicken Parm with rigatoni and a grown-up riff on SpaghettiOs, topped with stracciatella.

Unsurprisingly, Italy is well-represented on the wine list, which provides user-friendly descriptions highlighting regions and varietals. There are plenty of California selections, too, for the less adventurous.



Fontana isn’t your typical “red-sauce” Italian restaurant, Leibfried notes (though the rich and hearty rigatoni sugo, with pork slow-cooked in red wine and marinara, is nothing to shy away from). Tables are topped with butcher paper, the music is upbeat, and servers wear jeans and henleys for a friendly, informal vibe. 

A tableside polenta pour

The partners kept Fox & Falcon updates like white-washed brick columns and wood beams that brightened the previously dim dining room. They made the space their own with new framed art, murals and design details like a daring red-velvet wallpaper.

Leibfried met Maynard, co-founder of the Famous Toastery breakfast chain, years ago at a fast-casual restaurant Leibfried co-owned near Maynard’s New York City home. They soon discovered they had mutual connections and stayed in touch through the years.

Maynard eventually moved to Davidson, where a second location of Fontana Di Vino is slated to open this month. Leibfried still calls southern California home, but he’s in Charlotte regularly to continue fine-tuning the concept.

His passion for Italian cuisine stems from extensive travel to Italy, including a particularly memorable trip two years ago to Amalfi and Puglia. “I’m very much in love with the Italian culture and day-to-day life. It’s really something special.” SP

Fontana Di Vino is located at 4905 Ashley Park Lane.

Featured image: Pumpkin ravioli