Who

Arpaia is the restaurateur behind Kefi, Anthos, and Mia Dona (with Michael Psilakis). She also has a line of food products.

Backstory

Donatella's Italian-born father owned several restaurants in Manhattan, but hoped his daughter would follow a different career path and become a lawyer. No such luck. Although Arpaia attended law school, passed the bar in 1996, and even started work as a corporate attorney, she soon quit her job to follow in her father's footsteps. At the tender age of 24—with help from her father—she opened her first venue, Bellini. In 2003, she teamed up with David Burke and opened the spot that put her on the map, David Burke & Donatella. With Burke behind the stove and Arpaia handling everything else, the resto became an UES hotspot. In 2006, Arpaia followed up with Ama in SoHo (which she's since sold) as well as Dona, a Mediterranean eatery in the space formerly inhabited by Bellini, with chef Michael Psilakis.

Of note

Arpaia continued running David Burke & Donatella until 2008, when she and Burke parted ways and the restaurant was renamed davidburke townhouse. Since then, she has kept busy running her three restaurants with Psilakis, Anthos, Mia Dona (formerly Dona), and Kefi, which she reopened in a larger space on Columbus Avenue in December 2008. Up next, she and Psilakis have inked a deal to launch a restaurant at the Viceroy in Miami.

On the side

For Arpaia, owning a host of popular eateries is only a means to an end. She has a line of pasta sauces available at Whole Foods, she's a judge on the Food Network series The Next Iron Chef, and she says she's working on a TV show that she described as "Sex in the City meets Martha Stewart."

Personal

Arpaia has never been married, although she has more than her fair share of admirers. "How Donatella looks, what she is wearing that night, and how well she entertains are all part of her allure, and the popularity of her restaurants," gushed one foodie publication in 2006. Back when she was running Bellini, she was seriously involved with Chris Cuomo. She lives in Midtown and gets around town on a custom-made purple Vespa scooter.

True story

After Mayor Bloomberg instituted the smoking ban in 2003, it was Arpaia's idea to have a stretch limo parked in front of the restaurant during the chillier months, so her nicotine-dependent customers would have a comfy place to light up.