Veteran chef opens Fresno eatery Focaccia, where everything is cooked ‘from scratch’
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- Chef Sanjay Gadh opened Focaccia in Fresno after decades as a global consultant chef.
- The menu blends American comfort food with Gadh’s international culinary expertise.
- Gadh prepares all menu spreads and breads from scratch, emphasizing quality control.
Chef Sanjay Gadh has spent more than two decades cooking in Michelin Star kitchens across the world. At Focaccia, the newly opened restaurant at Milburn and Herndon avenues, the veteran chef leans on his experience to offer a blend of American classics and international flavors, with a menu that includes burgers, soups, salads and sandwiches.
“It’s all 100% American, but it’s a contemporary fusion,” Gadh said. “I just give things a twist with my knowledge.”
The menu at Focaccia ranges from a classic Philly cheesesteak to a spicy chicken sandwich with pepper jack, buffalo sauce and guacamole, as well as a Mexicana burger topped with bacon, pickles, guacamole, tomato salsa and jalapeños. There’s also soup options like the brisket chilli, lentil and mustard and bell pepper and cream with cheese.
Gadh is originally from India and immigrated to the U.S. in 2002. Before that, he attended the Le Cordon Bleu in London to become a chef. After completing his culinary education, he spent nearly two decades working as a consultant chef for restaurants around the world, including in countries like Japan, South Africa, and Turkey.
“I didn’t originally come to the U.S. to settle down, I was here on a contract for four years at an Indian restaurant and after that I was planning to go to Belgium,” he said. “But then I got injured in 2006 and ended up in a wheelchair for 10 and a half years. That’s why I couldn’t go.”
As customers step foot in Focaccia, Gadh’s commanding presence is clear. He takes each order and greets each person who walks inside the restaurant, which is located in the Herndon Place shopping center. He makes his way around the restaurant with a careful wobble — a subtle testament to the prosthetic leg he wears.
Gadh eventually built a life for himself in the U.S. and, despite the challenges of living with a disability, continued working as a consultant — developing recipes for a wide range of restaurants. He also did some translation work, thanks to his fluency in seven languages.
In 2016, he took the next step and opened his own restaurants. At one point, he owned three American-style eateries in Modesto, Turlock, and Oakdale.
By 2023, with his children living in Long Beach, Gadh decided to relocate to Fresno after selling off his restaurants. He wanted to be closer to his children, but found Los Angeles too expensive. Fresno offered the perfect balance of proximity and affordability, he said.
Two years after moving to the city, Gadh opened Focaccia, where he makes all the breads and dressings himself and makes sure each sandwich bread is paired with the right meat.
“Focaccia isn’t the traditional choice for pastrami, for example — marble rye or classic rye bread pairs much better with that kind of meat,” he said. “So when I created the menu, I made sure to design the dishes around the right companions for each ingredient, especially the meats. It’s all about choosing the right match.”
When it comes to his burgers, Gadh pairs his Angus patties with a bold, house-made spread crafted with garlic, ginger, red pepper, lemon, and mint, adding a burst of flavor to each bite.
“The meat and the spread are the heart of any good sandwich or burger,” Gadh said. “I make all of my spreads from scratch. That’s the key. When you take a bite, you get a flavor you won’t find anywhere else. I’m not pointing fingers, but most places use mass-produced spreads. I don’t.”
According to Gadh, the most popular burgers at Focaccia are the Kahuwa, an Angus patty topped with Swiss cheese, grilled pineapple, and teriyaki glaze, as well as the Mexicana. Staying true to his made-from-scratch philosophy, Gadh firmly believes that his personal touch is part of the key to making the food taste the way it does.
“I don’t let anyone touch the spices. I know exactly how much to use to get the right balance. I cook everything from scratch, because if I didn’t, the dish you have on Monday could taste completely different from the one you get on say Wednesday,” he said.
Looking ahead, Gadh hopes to add a self-serve beer and wine station to the restaurant. But for now, he’s taking things one step at a time and seeing how the business evolves.
“We’ll see how things go—it’s still like a newborn. We’re just six months in, but people are loving it and keep coming back. That’s where we are right now,” he said.
This story was originally published September 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM.
