Maria Trabocchi has built a Washington restaurant brand on hospitality and Italian fine dining — and for years, Sfoglina, Fiola, Fiola Mare and Casa Luca (and, most recently, Del Mar) have played host to D.C.’s A-list. The Obamas have feasted there, along with foreign heads of state, Hollywood stars like Meryl Streep, and the occasional Supreme Court justice.

But what's the secret to charming the VIPs of the nation’s capital? POLITICO's Anna Palmer sits down with Trabocchi to discuss the details of entertaining Washington's power brokers, how she got her start in the food industry, and what's next for her restaurant empire.

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