When I was a child growing up in Avellino, Italy, the kitchen was the place where my family gathered, celebrations were had and problems were solved. Most mornings, I woke to the aroma of freshly baked bread paired with a hearty ragu. In the evenings, homemade pastas, fragrant sauces, fresh herbs and wine would abound.
Cooking alongside my mother as a boy, I realized my passion for food early on and entered culinary school at age 15.
I started to understand that cooking was my life. When you’re doing what you love, it’s not a job.
I spent the next decade honing my skills at some of Italy’s most celebrated hotels and fine dining restaurants.
It was 2005 I started my experience in Tuscany at Bagni di Pisa Resort & SPA, 5-star resort member of “The Leading Hotels of the World”.
Only one year after I was already in a Michelin-starred restaurant: La Terrazza Restaurant at the 5-star Hotel Eden – Dorchester Collection in Rome.
My international experience started in 2008 when I moved to London where I started my career at the Four Seasons Hotel London.
At the end of the year I moved to Prague as sous chef at the Michelin-starred Allegro Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Prague, rated Best East Europe Restaurant by Zagat 2006-2009 and raking n. 72 Best World Restaurant by San Pellegrino 2008 and 2009.
In 2010 I started my adventure in Las Vegas as new Restaurant Chef for Verandah at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas (AAA Five Diamond Award and Best Luxury Hotel in Las Vegas), where I brought my intrinsic knowledge of authentic Italian cuisine to the restaurant.
Responsible for the development and execution for a 6 milion dollar outlets for dinner service in 4 F&B outlets: Veranda Restaurant & Bar, Press tapas bar, In room dining e Pool restaurant, I led Verandah to rank:
- #2 Best Italian Restaurant in Las Vegas by Zagat 2015
- Top 10 Best Restaurant in Vegas by TripAdvisor
- Top 10 Best Italian Restaurant in Vegas by OpenTable
My only desire was to transfer all of the passion I had to the plates, because if you cook with love, the authenticity will come through.
In 2017 I left Las Vegas and moved to Naples, Florida as the new Executive Chef for Marco Beach Ocean Resort (AAA Four Diamond).
Here I proposed my cuisine influenced by old-world tradition, yet reflecting a personal style: authentic Italian with a modern twist, achieving new great results such as:
- Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence – 2017–2019
- TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2018
- OpenTable Diners’ Choice Award – 2017–2019
In 2020 I’m back again in Italy to start new adventures and leave my trace in my homecountry.
The story continues…