Lo arrived in America from Hong Kong more than a decade ago, training in his home land’s best cooking school and fine-tuning his skills under European style chefs in America. When he arrived in this area, he offered his services gratis for two days to the kitchen staff at the newly opened Hershey Hotel (now the Double Tree) in downtown Philadelphia. In no time he was hired as a line chef, quickly moving up to chef of the dining room.

Working with the restaurant’s German executive chef, Lo soon became hooked on Italian cuisine, initiating a passion he developed further at Portofino and then at La Veranda in Penn’s Landing, where he became executive chef for five years. Chef Lo then opened Caffe Marco Polo, his first restaurant. The restaurant garnered high praise and a loyal following for its array of specialties from all the regions of Italy – antipastos from the Abbruzzi, seafood risottos, and homemade gnocchi, ravioli and fettuccine, along with fresh seafood.

Part of the reason for this success was Chef Lo’s hands-on approach, meticulous training of his kitchen and serving staffs, and careful attention to his guests satisfaction. Chef Lo’s latest and greatest creation is now Villa Barolo, which offers an specialties from all the regions of Italy, as well as an emphasis on creative preparation of the finest seafoods and game meats form all parts of the world. Through Villa Barolo, Chef Lo continues to refines his vision to provide a dining experience unmatched anywhere in the region.