For 90 years, Sant Ambroeus has served pure Milanese hospitality to the world. Founded in 1936 on Milan’s popular Corso Matteotti street as a neighborhood pasticceria and café, it quickly became a gathering place for artists, designers, and the city’s cultural leaders. Since expanding to New York in the 1980s, the family-run institution has grown into a global destination with locations in Milan, New York, the Hamptons, Palm Beach, Aspen, Paris, and soon Los Angeles, Dallas, and Miami, all while preserving the sophistication, impeccable service, and timeless recipes that have defined the brand for nearly a century.
This year, Sant Ambroeus marks 90 years in business with a year-long celebration that honors its heritage, community, and rituals that continue to make it a beloved destination. To commemorate its anniversary, the company has embarked on a year-long celebration that pays tribute to its history the community that has shaped its legacy. A series of artistic collaborations, cultural activations, and special releases honor the institution’s past while looking toward its future.
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
During Salone del Mobile this year, the original Milan location unveiled a special anniversary window installation, while New York’s iconic SoHo outpost transformed its celebrated plate wall into a visual exploration of the brand’s storied history. Later this year, a limited-edition collection of apparel and accessories—including hats, scarves, sweaters, and tote bags—will offer loyal patrons a new way to carry the spirit of Sant Ambroeus with them.
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
The anniversary is also being marked through two celebratory culinary creations that pay tribute to the brand’s origins: a burgundy edition of the beloved Principessa cake, reimagining the classic orange sponge cake with orange pastry cream, whipped cream, and marzipan; and the new Milano ’36 cocktail—a blend of Aperol, Amaretto Adriatico Bianco, Molinari, and citrus served in custom dove-engraved glassware. The latter is being served in custom glassware engraved with the brand’s iconic dove emblem.
In celebration of the institution’s 90th anniversary, Whitewall spoke with Gaetano Guarducci, Managing Partner of SA Hospitality Group—the brand’s umbrella company—and a member of the family behind Sant Ambroeus, to discuss the philosophy that has guided the company for nearly a century, its approach to global expansion, and the traditions that continue to shape its future.
Gaetano Guarducci, portrait courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
Sant Ambroeus Turns 90
WHITEWALL: This year, Sant Ambroeus turns 90. How would you describe the brand’s ethos, and how has that separated it from other modern pasticcerias?
GAETANO GUARDUCCI: Celebrating ninety years means a lot to us at the company. Sant Ambroeus was founded on a very simple idea: that a café can be a place of ritual, not just necessity. What separates us from a lot of what you see today is that we’ve never chased trend. We’ve refined the same recipes and the same service philosophy for nine decades, and the discipline of that consistency is, I think, its own form of luxury. A modern pasticceria might optimize for the photograph. We optimize for the return visit, the regular who comes in Tuesday and Thursday and expects, rightly, that nothing has changed except perhaps the season’s fruit.
WW: The establishment was founded in Milan. What parts of its traditional Milanese identity are emphasized, and how does this give the brand leverage internationally?
GG: Milan taught us restraint, that elegance is quiet, not loud. You see it in the way we present a pastry, the way a server moves through a room, and the unhurried cadence of an aperitivo hour. We carry that Milanese sensibility of understated sophistication into every market we enter, whether that’s New York, Southampton, or now Paris. Internationally, that’s actually our leverage: in cities saturated with concept and spectacle, we offer something that feels inherited rather than invented. People recognize authenticity even when they can’t quite name it.
Gaetano Guarducci on Preserving Legacy
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
WW: Sant Ambroeus has cultivated a global reputation that is deeply sophisticated. What role do art and culture play in that identity?
GG: We’ve always understood ourselves as adjacent to the creative world rather than separate from it. Historically, our cafés and restaurants have been gathering points for people in fashion, design, and the arts. That wasn’t engineered; it happened organically because the spaces invited a certain kind of conversation. We lean into that today through the way we design our rooms, the artists and objects we choose to have around us, and the relationships we maintain with people in those industries. Culture isn’t a campaign for us. It’s closer to atmosphere.
WW: You’re a Managing Partner at SA Hospitality Group and oversee global growth, strategic development, and long-term brand expansion. What are you keeping your eye on right now?
GG: Right now, the balance between scale and intimacy is the thing I think about most. As we grow into new markets, the temptation is always to standardize too much. My focus is making sure every new location still feels like it was built for its neighborhood, not dropped into it. I’m also watching how our guests want to engage with us beyond the table—through content, community, and smaller cultural moments—and making sure we show up there with the same care we’d bring to a dining room.
New Locations for Sant Ambroeus
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
WW: Most recently, you guided the opening of Sant Ambroeus Paris, SA Hospitality Group’s second major European flagship after Milan. Tell us about the space.
GG: Paris was a long time coming, and we were careful about it. The city has its own exacting standards for what a restaurant should be, so we didn’t want to import a copy of Milan; we wanted the two cities to speak to each other. The space reflects our signature palette and materials, but the details were tuned specifically for a Parisian eye—the light, the proportions, and the pacing of service. It’s meant to feel like it could have always been there.
WW: You’re also leading the next phase of expansion across key U.S. markets, including Beverly Hills, Miami, and Dallas. What can guests expect?
GG: Each of these cities represents a long-term commitment, not simply another opening. We don’t believe in exporting a concept unchanged; we believe in interpreting Sant Ambroeus through the lens of each market. Beverly Hills will emphasize understated luxury and the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that defines Southern California. Miami gives us the opportunity to create one of our most complete expressions of the brand, moving seamlessly from breakfast and coffee to aperitivo and dinner. Dallas is a rapidly evolving luxury market where we see tremendous demand for refined hospitality and timeless Italian dining.
What Makes a Perfect Partnership
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
WW: Partnerships have become an increasingly important part of hospitality. What kinds of collaborations make sense for Sant Ambroeus?
GG: The right partnership for us is always about shared values rather than shared audience size. We look for collaborators in fashion, hospitality, and design who understand restraint the way we do, brands that would rather do one thing exceptionally than many things adequately. Those tend to be the relationships that last because neither side is asking the other to compromise its identity for exposure.
WW: You were born and raised in New York and still live there. What does the city teach you?
GG: New York keeps you honest. It’s a city with zero patience for pretense. If something isn’t genuinely good, people simply stop coming, no matter how well it’s marketed. That’s a useful discipline to carry into every market we enter.
Lessons From a Family-Run Business
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
Courtesy of Sant Ambroeus and SA Hospitality Group.
WW: You’re part of the Sant Ambroeus family. What lessons did you learn growing up in this environment?
GG: Patience, mostly. Nothing in this business rewards shortcuts—not the recipes, not the relationships, and not the reputation. I learned early that consistency compounds and that hospitality is fundamentally about generosity rather than transaction.
WW: What are you up to for the rest of the summer?
GG: Between overseeing our U.S. expansion and spending time with the Paris team as the space settles in, it will be a busy season. I’ll also be spending time at our Hamptons locations and at the Garden at Casa Lever.
WW: What’s your classic order at Sant Ambroeus?
GG: I love our simply prepared dishes, whether meat or fish. And if I’m treating myself, it’s always the Paccheri Rosa and a slice of our Princess Cake.
