Chef David Ellis, a British chef from Stoke-on-Trent, began his career in the Midlands’ gastropubs before refining his craft in France, Australia, and across the UK, where hyper-local sourcing shaped his cooking. After moving to North Carolina in 2019, he joined Ashley Christensen’s Poole’s Diner, forging deep ties to Southern farmers and ingredients. In 2024, he opened Figulīna in Raleigh’s Warehouse District, a space where handmade pasta and Southern agriculture meet. Ellis treats pasta as a seasonal canvas, blending British comfort, Italian tradition, and North Carolina’s harvest into food that feels both rustic and wholly origina