team
sam hart
Sam Hart was born into the hospitality business. His father, Tim Hart and Mallorca-raised mother Stefa Hart, own and operate the renowned Michelin starred Hambleton Hall in Rutland. Before opening his first restaurant Fino with his brother Eddie, Sam was living in Mexico City running his own successful nightclub.
On his way back to London he met up with Eddie in Spain and it was not long before they both arrived back in London in search of a site to create something inspired by Cal Pep in Barcelona. They ended up with a much larger site that would become Fino. However, a few years later, in 2007 they opened Barrafina on Soho’s Frith Street, the perfect size for their concept. They opened the second Barrafina on Adelaide Street in July 2014 and the third on Covent Garden’s Drury Lane.
Sam now operates the restaurants as part of Harts Group, which he runs with business partners Anna Watkins and Crispin Somerville.
anna watkins
Cousin of Sam and Eddie Hart, Anna Watkins grew up visiting the family home in Estellencs, Mallorca, and worked for her aunt and uncle’s Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall whilst studying History at Oxford University. Her formative years inspired an abiding love of Spain, its food and culture. Anna went on to live in Madrid and work for media group PRISA for three years.
Anna has a rich media and tech history behind her, previously having been Global Vice President of Growth at Technicolor Creative Studios, and MD at Verizon Media UK, overseeing growth at Yahoo, AOL, and HuffPost. Prior to this she was Global CEO MOFILM (You & Mr Jones) and has also served as Managing Director of Initiative and The Guardian’s Labs as well as CEO of Grand Union. Anna started her career in advertising at M&C Saatchi.
Anna has been part of the advisory committee for Harts Group since the launch of Fino, in 2003.
antonio gonzalez milla
Antonio Gonzalez Milla, Executive Chef of the central Barrafina locations, Dean Street, Adelaide Street and Drury Lane. At 8 years old, he would ask to visit his father’s uncle’s restaurant and learn how to do small tasks like podding broad beans. In his secondary school holidays, he would help out at his father’s four restaurants, and after leaving school, he went to work at his uncle’s taberna, starting out as a waiter and 17 years later, leaving as head chef. Antonio has worked at Barrafina since 2016, and many regulars will recognise him from being the Head Chef at Barrafina Adelaide Street.
francisco jose torrico
Francisco AKA ‘Paco,’ was born in Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha and raised in Madrid. After school, he went to culinary college, completing ‘stages’ (chef work placements) at Madrid’s restaurants in his summer breaks, before working for nine years at the luxury hotel Santo Mauro, where he became sous chef to Carlos Posadas. Paco joined Barrafina in 2015 and has worked as Head Chef at the Adelaide Street, Drury Lane and Coal Drops Yard locations. He has cooked sold-out Barrafina pop-ups in Ibiza with Beat Hotel, and welcomed some of the world’s best Spanish chefs to join him for the Barrafina Invita series. Paco is the Executive Chef of Barrafina and Parrillan Coal Drops Yard and Barrafina, Parrillan and Bar Daskal, Borough Yards.
aurelija sovaite
Aurelija has been a part of the Barrafina team since January 2013. She moved from Lithuania to the UK in 2009 to study History and Politics at the University of Nottingham. While there she worked at Hart’s, the restaurant owned by Sam and Eddie’s parents, renowned restaurateurs Tim and Stefa Hart. She quickly developed a taste for a life in hospitality and when she moved to London she was pleased to continue working within the family group. She has been with Harts Group since, gaining tremendous respect from staff and guests for her passion for hospitality and service. Aurelija loves the interaction with the guests at Barrafina and the theatre of the dining experience.