For Chef Greg Buschmohle, Italian food and culture run in the blood. His mother, whose family was from Naples, first taught Greg the art of handmade pasta and gnocchi in the basement of their home in Detroit. By age 10, he followed his culinary dreams right into an Italian catering hall and refused to leave until they put him to work. He spent the next five years learning the ins and outs of life behind the line: sourcing fresh ingredients, blending new tastes with proven traditions, and hiding from the health and labor department until he was legally of age to work.

By his twenties, Greg had turned that same relentless drive into a degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management from Michigan State University and a co-founding role with L&N Seafood, which debuted at the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair. Over the next several years, he helped open more than 40 locations nationwide before heading south to Alabama, where he founded Quality Restaurants, Inc. in 1995. From there, he launched a collection of locally loved concepts and helped define the coastal dining scene for more than a decade.

In 2017, Greg became Executive Chef at The Safari Club at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo and combined sustainability and creativity to make it Alabama’s first Green Certified restaurant. With his passion for combining the freshest possible ingredients with traditional cooking methods, Greg has spent a lifetime traveling abroad to browse international food markets, learn from local purveyors, and refine his approach to authentic Italian cuisine. (It’s still his favorite way to vacation.)

Now, with Fresco, Greg’s story comes full circle. After a career spanning more than seventy-five restaurants (and a few years behind the wheel as a semi-pro Formula 1 driver), he’s returning to his roots: hand-rolled pasta, scratch-made dough, and the slow, satisfying art of Italian cooking done right. Fresco in Bon Secour, Alabama is a nod to where it all began: in the heart of a warm Italian kitchen, where passion and patience turn simple ingredients into something unforgettable.