Diners could one day work for their dinner at one North End restaurant

The Board of Appeal today approved restaurateur Frank DePasquale's proposal to expand his Assaggio restaurant at 29 Prince St. with a kitchen for a new dining service in which patrons would work with chefs to prepare their meals.

Under his plans, DePasquale would convert the third floor of the building, now a residential unit, into a new 66-seat dining area and kitchen.

DePasquale, who owns six other restaurants in the North End, would also use the new kitchen for training local chefs - sometimes under the tutelage of chefs flown in from Italy - and to offer cooking lessons to students in local elementary schools, his attorney, William Ferrullo, told the board.

DePasquale will also need approval from the Boston Licensing Board. One resident rose to oppose the proposal, saying the Massachusetts Architectural Board might have to review the restaurant's accessibility to people with handicaps.