While not literally tied to her apron strings while growing up, Aaron Meneghelli nevertheless spent a lot of time in his grandmother’s kitchen.

“I guess I wanted to eat first, so I assume that’s why I started to hang out with my grandmother in her kitchen,” he readily admits today.

Those memories, along with the good times he shared helping her prepare treasured Italian meals, prompted wine country’s Meneghelli to pursue a career in the restaurant business.

Touting the culinary skills of both his mother and her mother, Meneghelli observes: “I grew up around the table ... with a lot of cousins. It was all about food ... and family.”

Although his grandmother has passed away, “My grandfather still carries on the traditions started by my grandmother and we still get together in his kitchen in Richmond for holidays, especially at Christmas.”

Today, on the heels of a wealth of culinary posts that took him to renowned restaurants as well as wine programs, Meneghelli is chef de cuisine at Napa’s Angèle, located on the Napa River at the foot of Main Street in downtown Napa.

Born at Queen of the Valley Hospital to Mike and Gretchen Meneghelli some three decades 31 years ago, Aaron at the age of 22 decided to turn his love of food into a career. He was studying at Chico State when he enrolled at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

“I wasn’t happy with what I was heading into,” he declares. “Food seemed like a good choice for me. It was something I enjoyed, and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.”

When he completed his CCA studies, he returned to the Napa Valley to the Robert Mondavi Winery, where he worked side by side with then-winery chef Sarah Scott. While working at the Oakville winery, he had the opportunity to go to France, broadening his culinary skills while working with French chefs.

Following his stay in France, Meneghelli visited his father’s family in Trento in northern Italy, reconnecting to his family roots. In addition, he also absorbed as much as he could of the traditions surrounding the Meneghelli kitchen table.

“Food speaks a common language regardless of heritage, culture or place in the world,” he points out. “The community around the table is what makes cooking exciting.”

Bolstered by his European experiences, Meneghelli returned to the states to work at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center in southern California, eager to absorb as much knowledge as possible about the pairing of food and wine.

Eventually returning to the Napa Valley, Meneghelli joined the opening culinary teams at two area restaurants, Hurley’s in Yountville and Budo in Napa. Just prior to manning the stoves at Angèle, he served as executive sous chef at Calistoga Ranch, working with chef Robert Leva.

France meets Italy

Hanging out with grandma as a young boy meant helping her prepare traditional Italian dishes like pasta, pesto and polenta — “and a very special torta, as well as bagna cauda, which my grandfather still does,” he relates.

With his new position, Meneghelli is bringing his Italian heritage to a traditional French bistro kitchen. You’ll notice that Mediterranean flavors and dishes are reflected in his new menu. For example, the three country dishes that can be shared family style feature a cassoulet from the south of France (with duck confit, lamb sausage and Cellini beans), paella (consisting of chicken, chorizo, mussels, clams and saffron rice) as well as ratatouille (with heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, squash and polenta).

While main courses showcase French country tradition — poulet roti (roast chicken), coquilles St. Jacques (seared scallops with crawfish) and noisette d’agneau (roasted lamb loin) — there’s also squid ink pasta along with sautéed black cob served with potato and leek “risotto.”

And chef Meneghelli has put together a special weekend brunch menu — much to the delight of restaurant owner Bettina Rouas and Angèle regulars — that features eggs Benedict with Serrano ham, crispy fromage blanc gnocchi, pain perdu with pecan maple syrup, scrambled eggs with roasted mushrooms and a heavenly duck confit and Yukon gold potato hash.

Angèle is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with brunch offered Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 to 4. Meals are served both inside the intimate dining room — which once served as a boathouse — and on the patio that overlooks the new riverwalk and Napa River. For reservations, call 252-8115.