Taste of Italy

Chef Dan Stackpoole, a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, opened the reservation-only Portofino restaurant in Geist in 2021. The restaurant offers a guided culinary tour of all regions of Italy. The multi-course, fine-dining menu, curated by Chef Dan, is unlike anything else in the area. Portofino allows guests to choose from several selections in five different courses.

For the first time since its inception, Stackpoole is making some major changes to the restaurant’s operations. These changes are aimed at enhancing the dining experience for guests. He recently brought on his niece, Mikaila Stackpoole, as chef. She moved to Fishers from Ohio and has been running the kitchen since June. While only 21 years old, she already has five years of restaurant experience, including most recently as a sous chef. She says she gets her love for and inspiration for cooking from her parents and grandparents.

“I work alone in the kitchen, but I really love speaking with customers and meeting people,” Mikaila Stackpoole says. “It’s much easier to do here because it’s a more intimate restaurant setting. Only a few of us work here, so we’re a small, little work family.”

Chef Dan and Mikaila are adding new, exciting items for the first time for guests who have come to know and love Portofino’s carefully sourced menu. These include boneless braised prime beef short ribs with risotto Milanese and demi-glace, a dish that combines tender beef with creamy risotto; mushroom truffle risotto with pancetta, a savory and earthy dish with a hint of luxury from the truffle; and the coastal favorite cioppino seafood stew with scallops, shrimp, salmon, root vegetables, pancetta and lobster tomato broth, a hearty and flavorful stew that showcases the best of the sea and the land; and spaghetti puttanesca with black squid ink pasta, fresh herbs, olives, capers, garlic, fresh tomatoes and anchovy.

“We source only the highest-quality products,” Stackpoole says. “We have our seafood delivered fresh daily. Chef Dan also goes to Detroit to find some of our products. We spend the extra time and money creatively using those products to make all our dishes. I think our guests can tell when they have the food.”

In the future, Portofino may be easier to get into, with the Stackpooles now accepting walk-in diners along with reservations. Later this year they will also be open for lunch on Wednesdays through Sundays. They’re closed on Monday and only serve dinner on Tuesday.

Chef Dan has over 25 years of restaurant industry experience. Adding Mikaila to the team will allow him to work on additional restaurant projects in the future, such as expanding the restaurant’s offerings or opening new locations. He says he always focuses on creating new and exciting dining experiences for his guests. Mikaila says she’s excited to bring another option for Sunday lunch to the Geist area.