First EcoChi-Designed Restaurant to Open in Connecticut

    NEW YORK, NY, January 17, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The first EcoChi designed restaurant and the first to be certified with the EcoChi 180 degree Seal will open in Connecticut in early 2015. The project will be on the forefront of environmental sustainability with an innovative approach that meticulously blends green practices with environmental psychology and classical feng shui.

Positano Ristorante, the popular waterfront eatery in Connecticut, will be moving to a new location at the Westport Country Theater. The space was formerly occupied by legendary actor Paul Newman's The Dressing Room restaurant. Positano restaurant owners, the Scarpati family has hired the EcoChi Design Team, a Manhattan based sustainable interior design firm with a focus on the human experience for the redesign of the new Positano restaurant in Westport.

The guidelines for the project will include reuse of materials like the beautiful wood walls of the restaurant that Paul Newman transported from a barn in Alabama. Other conscious choices will include LED lighting, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, finishes and materials. The design will also reflect the 5 elements of Feng Shui for good energy flow. Water, wood, fire, earth and metal balanced in the space will create a people friendly environment that is a perfect setting for great meals and warm, wonderful memories. Positano will be the first restaurant in Connecticut to earn the EcoChi 180 degree Seal.

EcoChi, LLC President Debra Duneier says, "We feel a strong connection to this first farm to table restaurant project and a responsibility to maintain the integrity of this space and its intention when first created." Green and Sustainability along with wellness enhancing design choices will play an important role in this restaurant re-design.

Positano Ristorante is an authentic Italian restaurant that has been owned and operated by the Scarpati family for more than fifteen years. The owner, Chef Giuseppe Scarpati learned the art of cooking from his father, who studied with master chefs in Italy and was regarded as the island's best fisherman. Growing up on an island, Giuseppe appreciates and knows that the best food is made from the simplest and freshest ingredients. His cuisine focuses on all natural cooking, with fresh fishes, meats, fruits, vegetables, and aromatic herbs. Giuseppe's son, Fernando Scarpati, is following in his father's footsteps. Fernando has worked at Positano since he was a young child and has studied the art of pastry in Tuscany, Italy at the Laboratories of world-renowned pastry chef Luca Montersino. Fernando has graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts at The Culinary Institute of America, New York. These two chefs, father and son will cook side by side in the new restaurant opening the end of February.

About EcoChi LLC

EcoChi is an interior design philosophy unlike any other. It's on the forefront of Environmental Sustainability with an innovative approach that meticulously blends green practices with environmental psychology and classical feng shui. With EcoChi, modern interior design has entered a new period - where art and science meet to create the Human Experience. EcoChi is Purposeful Design-a core concept of EcoChi is that people feel best when they are connected to nature. Restorative environments have been shown to increase attention span, lower pulse rate and blood pressure. EcoChi design brings the outdoors indoors and restores our bond with the natural world. Whether projects are LEED or green with a focus on the human experience, EcoChi is the unique differentiator. The EcoChi 180 degree Seal is the only building and design certification that is customized for each client. As such, the EcoChi 180 degree Seal helps any business, location or project make a 180-degree turn toward a model that respects people, the planet and profits. The system is effective with new construction, renovations and finished spaces alike.

For more information about EcoChi designs, please visit http://ecochi.com/

# # #