Born in Tirana, Albania, chef Marlon Vila grew up in and around the kitchen watching his mother, who had been a chef for as long as he could remember and soon became his culinary inspiration and role model.

While living in Italy, Vila took a position in the kitchen of a small trattoria in the center of Rome. At Trattoria della Cancelleria he saw firsthand what it meant to run a pizza station the Italian way.

In the United States, he worked and learned in kitchens like Larco’s Italian Steakhouse in Troy, Michigan, where he was introduced to Chateaubriand and Anthony’s Pier Four in Boston,where he familiarized himself with New England seafood and decided he was ready to open his own restaurant. He soon opened Rozafa Bistro, serving breakfast lunch and dinner to Quincy’s hungry residents and visitors.

Vila continues to cook and grow. In 2016, he graduated from le Cordon Bleu in Cambridge and in 2017 he was certified as an executive chef from the American Culinary Federation.

He currently lives in Quincy. When he’s not in the kitchen he’s usually hanging out with his family, trying to fit in 18 holes or heading north to hit the slopes.