‘Top Chef’ alum to open Italian restaurant at Paseo 17

On July 31, Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails at Paseo 17 on the corner of East 17th Street and Westminster Avenue in Costa Mesa will close its doors to make way for an Italian restaurant from “Top Chef” alumnus Jackson Kalb.

Ospi, an abbreviation of “ospitante,” the Italian word for “host,” hails from the restaurant group Kalb runs with his wife, Melissa, called Memento Mori Hospitality, which also owns Los Angeles-based Jame, Jemma di Mare, Jemma Hollywood, Jemma Pizzeria and the first Ospi location in El Segundo.

Kalb appeared on season 19 of “Top Chef” and began his career in kitchens as a teenager, working at Melisse Restaurant in Santa Monica. He graduated from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and honed his craft in places like Chicago’s three-Michelin-starred Alinea and Danny Meyer’s Union Square Café in New York. The Los Angeles native opened Jame in 2018 and the first Ospi in 2020. Ospi at Paseo 17 will be the restaurant group’s first venture into Orange County.

Paseo 17 is a former medical plaza previously known as Plaza Serano remodeled by owner Burnham-Ward Properties into a dining and shopping destination, now home to tenants like Mama Bijoux and Milligram Coffee + Kitchen.

“We have been eager to bring chef Jackson’s culinary talent and vision to Orange County, and we feel confident Paseo 17 is the perfect home for Ospi,” Bryon Ward, president of Burnham-Ward Properties said in a statement.

Ospi is intended to pay homage to “Brooklyn red sauce joints” but also incorporates elements of modern Southern Italian cuisine with a menu that includes scratch-made pastas, thin Roman-style pizzas and innovative dishes like mozzarella-stick-inspired crispy provolone. Ospi will open at Paseo 17 for lunch and dinner every day and brunch on the weekends this fall.

“Ospi will continue to elevate the caliber of dining on our popular 17th Street corridor, raising the bar and further defining this area for sophisticated culinary experiences, ” Ward said.

Greenleaf, which has made its home at Paseo 17 since 2012, will remain open until July 31 with plans to open a temporary spot at Costa Mesa Kitchens while Burnham-Ward Properties works to establish a new 17th Street location. Diners can also visit Greenleaf’s other Costa Mesa locations at SOCO on Harbor Boulevard and Sunflower Avenue or at John Wayne Airport.