I’ve always had an interest in cookery. I was fascinated by family recipes at first, then restaurants. Chefs are special kinds of artists, reproducing their individual creations with ingredients. I’ve always been fascinated by the pleasure to be had from cooking, through food and flavor. It enables me to express my creativity as well.
For me, cooking is about combining ingredients and local recipes creatively, attempting to take guests on a culinary journey that reflects my art.
I love experimenting using produce from the region where I live and where I was born. Expressing my culinary vision to guests brings both my personality and my cookery skills into play. I love aromatic herbs and wild herbs from the Apuan Alps where I come from, game from Lake Massaciuccoli, meat from the San Rossore estate, fish from the Tyrrhenian Sea and the fruit and vegetables grown on the fertile lowland area. Ingredients are revisited, cooked to perfection, and served with imaginative accompaniments.
What sets me apart has to be my ice cream; typical of Italy, I've given it my own spin and it won me the 2009 Coupe du Monde at SIGEP in Rimini.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet top chefs who’ve taught me the trade with passion and empathy, while also instilling in me their appreciation of cookery. In the kitchen, being united is essential; it's this sense of team spirit, communion, and belonging to a group that enables everyone to blossom by supporting each other.
My strategy is to focus on the ingredients and the recipe. My advice for getting the best possible results would be to always use good quality ingredients.