Billy Downes

Sous Chef

Originally from Northern Virginia Billy moved to Rhode Island at five years old and grew up mostly in the East Bay area.  His love of food started young, spending time with his grandmothers in the kitchen. Some of his best childhood memories were formed around food and the people who taught him to love cooking.

Billy cut his teeth under Chef Eli Dun of Eli's Kitchen, where he learned the importance of seasonality, local sourcing, and putting flavor first; and fell in love with the pace and intensity of the kitchen. From there, he worked in restaurants across Rhode Island before landing under the wing of Chef Rick Allaire at Metacom Kitchen, where he was introduced to a more disciplined, scientific approach to cooking.

At Giusto, Billy brings a style driven by curiosity and an insatiable desire to learn. He is always finding a way to put something new on your plate, with the goal of invoking those nostalgic memories of cooking with your grandmother.

When he's not in the kitchen, you'll find Billy spending time with his fiancée and their dog, reading horror novels, and searching for the next great hiking trail in Rhode Island.