Current Status as of February 2015

Forlano's Market was located at the corner of Main Street and Fauquier Avenue in The Plains, Virginia, from June 2008 to January 2015. While we are in the process of evaluating new locations, Chef Nick is available for gourmet catering, in-home culinary classes, and cooking demonstrations. Please email chefnick@forlanos.com if you would like to know more about his availability for your special event.

Originally opened as a local market offering cooking classes, prepared dinner service, and gourmet deli sandwiches, persistent customer demand drove our expansion into a full service restaurant that offered a unique open kitchen lunch and dining experience, as described by Candy Sagon in her November 2013 review in the Washington Post (click here for the complete review).

Chef Nick greatly enjoyed the lively interaction with customers and friends while preparing gourmet meals in our unique and intimate open kitchen, and we appreciate all of our loyal customers in the Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland region over these past 7 years. Thank you for the feedback and reviews in Facebook, Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Google+. Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates on special events and our future plans!

About Forlano's Market (June 2008 to January 2015)

Forlano's Market is a restaurant, deli, butcher, and bakery with a focus on locally raised meats, cheese, and produce. Chef and owner Nick Forlano supports area farmers where possible, providing a high-quality, hormone-free alternative to the factory-farmed poultry, beef, and pork found in large grocery stores. Nick believes that buying locally spares the environment, supports family farms, strengthens the local economy, and protects open space and farmland.

The 2001 recipient of an impressive Zagat Survey rating of 25 (out of a possible 30) for his outstanding menu at The Ashby Inn, Nick takes pride in offering only the finest products at Forlano’s Market: homemade bread baked daily; a butcher case featuring locally raised corn-finished Angus, free-range poultry, and handcrafted charcuterie; an array of sandwiches made to order, daily soups, lunch and dinner.

Chef Nick

A native of Queens, New York, chef Nick Forlano was born into a family of restaurateurs. His mother owned a popular American-style restaurant in Delaware called the Eagle’s Nest, and Nick felt the pull of the kitchen early on. At 14 he became a dishwasher, after which he worked his way around the kitchen, quickly developing proficiency in prep work, line cooking, menu development, and meat and fish preparation.

At 24, after five years in the Air Force, Nick enrolled at the Restaurant School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1997. He took his first executive chef position in 1999 at The Gables, a contemporary fusion restaurant in southeastern Pennsylvania, stepping into the shoes of his mentor, chef Mark Eastman.

In 2000 Nick moved to Middleburg, Virginia, where he became chef of the Ashby Inn, a boutique bed-and-breakfast. With Nick at the helm the Ashby Inn was awarded a prestigious 25 (out of a possible 30) from the Zagat survey for its outstanding menu.