Italian Cuisine & Wines World Summit

Miramonti l’Altro Restaurant, Concesio (Brescia)
No tricks and nothing complex; the plate is the setting of the proud creation of a great neoclassic chef applied to the emotions of the specialities of Brescia. Stuff that shakes the toughest preachers of the avant-garde! Born in Nantes in 1963, Philippe studied at the school of hotel sciences of Saomure, before taking off on a whirl of pilgrimages around the world: he has been received in fine restaurants in New York, in Martinique and finally in Montecarlo. He finally landed in Italy at the Maschere di Iseo, where he stayed from 1987 to 1991. Then, after a year at the old Ponte di Briolo Restaurant, on 25th October 1992, he arrived at the Miramonti di Caino run by the Piscini family, which, in 1994, opened its new and definitive premises the Miramonti l’Altro Restaurant, now in Concesio. Here, the great technique of Philippe, who declares himself to be Italian, became acquainted in humility with the unsurpassable savoir-faire of Mary Piscini, who passed him on the secrets of the cult dishes, such as mushroom and sweet cheese risotto mountain style, before turning him over the stove definitively.

Delighting the gourmet palate with unique culinary creations, Bombana has been hailed "the king of white truffles”. A native of Bergamo, in northern Italy, he was trained at the "Centro di Formazione Alberghiera" and apprenticed under the talented Ezio Santin at Antica Osteria del Ponte, now a Michelin-starred restaurant outside Milan. His impeccable talent soon took him around the world. In 1993, he joined the famous Rex Il Ristorante in Los Angeles, where he was lauded for his simple yet refined regional cooking. Bombana, arrived in Hong Kong in June 1993 to open "Toscana" an quickly established it as an iconic destination of the fine dining scene. After 15 years he opened The Drawing Room with Chef Roland Schuller. In less than a year it already garnered a Michelin star. Now, in 2010, Chef Bombana has returned to his most distinctive and personal project ever: 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA.

“Tano passami l’olio” Restaurant, Milan
A talented Italian chef who owns the acclaimed restaurant “Tano passami l’olio” in Milan (Lombardia Region). His cuisine is loved both by customers and critics: the Michelin guide keeps awarding him a well earned star. The essence of Mr Simonato´s cuisine is in the name of his restaurant: “Tano” is a diminutive of Gaetano’s given name and “passami l’olio” means “pass me the olive oil”. Since 1995, quality Italian extra virgin olive oil is in the foundation of his tasteful, yet light signature dishes, in which the ingredients – strictly uncontaminated – play a fundamental role. He´s a Master of Italian high cuisine made in the healthiest way. It’s not by chance that in his restaurant he makes as scant use of butter and has more than 40 different extra virgin olive oils to condiment his dishes.

Massimo Pasquarelli began his career in 1989 in the culinary institute of Villa Santa Maria in Abruzzo. After 3 years he moved to Imola where he learnt the bases from Chef Valentino Marcantilli in the San Domenico. In 1997 he worked as Chef de Partie at the Hotel Eden’s La Terrazza dell’Eden in Rome. Then New York at the glamourous restaurant "Le Cirque 2000". In 2000, his international exposure begun when he joined the Alain Ducasse Groupe: he worked at Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, Louis XV in Monaco, Spoon+ Sanderson in London, Mix in New York, L’Andana in Tuscany, Beige Tokyo, Benoit Tokyo, Le Comptoir de Benoit in Osaka, Jules Verne Tour Eiffel in Paris, and ending in Monte Carlo at the Bar & Boeuf. In 2007 he was the first Italian Chef in Asia to be awarded a Michelin star with the restaurant "Benoit" in Tokyo. Today, he´s Executive Chef at the Abeerdeen Marina Club.

Ristorante Sadler, Milan & Beijing
Claudio Sadler: manager and creative, a little bit transgressive, rigorous in applying rules and brilliant in not applying them. For this reason his restaurant, Sadler in Milan, keeps confirming the two Michelin stars. Appreciated in Japan and in the USA, Sadler is listed among "Le Soste" Restaurants, association that only includes those who have begun an original and creative path and have been capable of increasing the value of Italian Cuisine in every aspect. Three restaurants and a banqueting service bear his name and they really interpret a unique style by rewarding Italian Food Culture, its accuracy and respect for tradition.

He started his culinary career at the age of 14. With over 20 years of culinary experience in Italy, the US and the widely known Grissini Restaurant in the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong, Chef Vittorio arrived at Angelini in 2007 in the Shangri La Hotel, in Kowloon where he brings a fresh approach to all the different regional fare found within Italian cuisine, combining authentic ingredients with traditional techniques. He is a firm believer in cooking using the freshest ingredients, without heavy sauces but with a special care on maintaining the natural flavours of the ingredients which emphasizes light and healthy Italian food.

Ristorante Pier Bussetti al Castello di Govone, Piemonte
Born in Chivasso, Piemonte, near Torino, Pier is the son of a baker and grew up in the grocery store run by his family. His first working experience as a cook was in Liguria, for a whole summer season; in this place he realized this was going to be his future and although he sometimes stopped working in order to study at the University (foreign languages and literature), he had working experiences in Italy and abroad (France, U.S.A., Japan and Spain) that resulted key in his restaurant management career. In 2007 he opened with partner Rosanna Basso, “Locanda Mongreno” in Torino. The restaurant collected many accolades including a Michelin Star. His dish called “Spoon Shock: Notorius’ Spark” was included in a Permanent Design Show made by the “Triennale di Milano”. In 2009 he opened a new restaurant called “Ristorante Pier Bussetti al Castello di Govone”, which holds one Michelin star, located inside the ancient Royal Stables of the Castle.

Born in Rome, Alan worked in Italy before going to London in 1999 to work at Daphne's, specializing in classic Tuscan cuisine. Previous experience includes Head Chef at Al Duca in St James's for three years and the Drones Club in Mayfair. Joined Sartoria in 2007 as Head Chef where he developed a classic Italian menu with a contemporary touch. Now at Domani he enjoys creating dishes that are light and delicate in presentation with his focus on seasonality.

Salumeria Rosi, New York City
Having been the chef at the mythic Coco Pazzo and then at Il Toscanaccio, Cesare has brought success to several of the Big Apple’s Italian restaurants, such as Beppe and the Maremma. Author of books, host of TV programmes, an expert connoisseur of typical Italian products, he is also the Dean of Italian Studies at the International Culinary Institute in New York. Recently Cesare teamed up with the Rosi Family (Parmacotto) to create Salumeria Rosi a special restaurant with a menu of prepared-foods and dishes, typically found in salumerie across Italy for their Upper West side establishment.

Chef Monti heads the kitchen at Gaia with a fresh and thoroughly modern style of Italian cooking. A native of Rome, Paolo has worked at some of The Eternal City’s most renowned restaurants, including Alberto Ciarla, the famous seafood venue; the Michelin-star Eden Hotel; and Checco ar 13 ‘mo, one of the oldest trattorias in Rome. Paolo also draws on seven years of experience with a number of leading Los Angeles restaurants, notably as sous chef to the legendary Mauro Vincenti at the famous REX il Ristorante, Louise’s Trattoria and the Alto Palato Trattoria, ranked among the Top 10 restaurants in LA. Not surprisingly considering his influences, Paolo’s cooking style combines authentic Italian with health-conscious Californian – creating a high quality, lighter Italian cuisine which is so popular today.

Devero Restaurant, Milano
Born in Pescia, Region of Toscana. He´s considered one of the most promising talents of Italian Cuisine. His name is linked to the successful Le Robinie Restaurant (Montescano – Pavia), to the Bartolini Bistro in Pavia and now, to the Devero restaurant in Cavenago di Brianza (Milano). In the last few years he won quite impressive accolades: in 2007 he was already the Best Emerging Italian Chef for the Il Sole 24 ore (the most prestigious Italian financial newspaper) Restaurant’s guide and the Best Italian Young Chef for the BMW Guide. Since then, he has received some of the best scores in the most important Italian guides: L’Espresso (16,5/20) and Gambero Rosso (2 forks). The Michelin Guide awarded him his first star. Chef Bartolini begun his career in Italian Grand Hotels (Plaza and Croce di Malta in Montecatini Terme) but soon gained extensive experience abroad. He worked with Mark Page in London (Royal Commonwealth Club), in Paris with Paolo Petrini (same restaurant) and in Berlin with Pietro De Vitis (Sale e Tabacchi Restaurant). Nonetheless, his most significant collaboration was in Italy, in the kitchen of the three- Michelin-stared Le Calandre with Massimiliano Alajmo.

Chef de Cuisine at the emblematic Grissini restaurant where he applies his philosophy of the high standard and authenticity of the Italian cuisine and recipe. He started working during weekends as a teenager in the Michelin-star restaurant Paolo and Barbar. Later on he moved to other Michelin-star restaurants such as Locanda Arnolfo, Cala di Volpe, Antica Osteria del Ponte and Hotel Vila del Sogn. Now at Grissini he continues to offer the original taste of italian cuisine with a personal interpretation, with the freshest ingredients presented in an authentic yet simple manner.

Da Giovanni RANA Restaurants
Executive chef Odette Fada is one of the most talented Italian chefs working outside Italy. She worked in various prestigious restaurants, including the legendary Rex Il Ristorante in Los Angeles. In 1996, joined San Domenico NY and garnered culinary acclaim. At SD26 Chef Fada’s refined style of cooking perfectly matched the culinary philosophy of Tony May and his restaurant endeavors. Her unique culinary style is characterized by intense, pure taste and a celebration of regional Italian dishes, presented with her trademark simplicity and elegance. Odette has recently joined the Da Giovanni RANA Restaurants.

One of Italy’s most renowned family chefs, Giandomenico Caprioli, heads the kitchen at the Gaia Group’s ISOLA bar+grill where his menu is simple and rustic, showcasing freshest and best quality produce – or as he puts it, “common ingredients cooked uncommonly well”. Born into a family of cooks in Potenza, Gianni trained at a hotel school and started his career in his brother’s restaurant. Then he developed his skills in homemade pastas and Romagna-style (Romagnola) cooking in San Marino. He worked under Italian master chef Gino Angelini at the Grand Hotel des Bains in Riccione, in the US as a consultant for the famous Rex group of restaurants, as a chef at the Ristorante Azzurra, with another of Italy’s most revered and innovative chefs, Gianfranco Vissani. In 2000 he left for Los Angeles for the opening of the famous Osteria Angelini. It was here that his skills came to the attention of the Agnelli family – who hired him as their personal chef.

Del Posto Restaurant, New York City
Mark Ladner is the Executive Chef of Del Posto Restaurant, which opened in late fall 2005. Del Posto holds a 4-star rating from the New York Times, and one star from the prestigious Guide Michelin. Mark cooks a sensible interpretation of regional Italian “Cucina Classica,” utilizing responsibly raised and locally grown products; hence the name, Del Posto (of the place). Mark Ladner, protégé of Mario Batali, began his culinary education at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He cooked at the original Olives in his native Charlestown (Boston) for Chef Todd English. In New York City, he worked for several years with chefs Scott Bryan and Jean Georges Vongerichten In 2002, he opened Babbo as Sous Chef. He has since opened, and is the Executive Chef, of Lupa, Otto and Del Posto, which he runs with partners Mario Batali, Jason Denton, and Joe and Lidia Bastianich. Mark resides with his family in Greenwich Village, NYC.

Grounded in classic Italian cuisine and with a passion for authenticity, Joia´s Executive Chef Alessandro Angelini is no stranger to acclaimed Italian restaurants. Chef Angelini’s seventeen years in the industry have seen him criss cross the globe honing his skills in an A list of restaurants in Venice, London and Los Angeles – where he frequently cooked for many of Hollywood’s biggest celebrity names. Now at Joia, where he arrived from working in Jakarta’s ‘sexylicious’ Italian restaurant ‘Rosso’, his menus reflect the combination of innovation and authenticity.

La Lanterna Verde di Villa di Chiavenna, Sondrio
Born in Metz (France) from Italian parents that returned to Italy when Andrea was a little over 2 years old. After graduating from the Istituto Alberghiero di Chiavenna he begins to work right away. In 1996, at 30 years of age, he joins the European Young Restaurateurs Association, and on the following year receives a Michelin star for the quality of his cuisine, which still remains untouched at the ristorante La Lanterna Verde di Villa di Chiavenna which he co-owns with his brother Antonio.

As the Chef de cuisine of The Mistral at InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong, Chef Iraci brings with him over 12 years of culinary expertise. His career has taken him to international five-star hotels in Dubai, the US, China and Italy. He was previously the Chef de Cuisine of Cepe at The Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street, and dominated the dining scene with major recognitions and awards. The restaurant Cepe was named “World’s Top Dining Venues” by Forbes Magazine of United States. Chef Eugenio joined the pre-opening team of Four Seasons Hotel Doha, Qatar in 2005 to 2007, responsible for the opening of II Teatro Restaurant. The young and passionate Eugenio, who hails from the fascinating region of Perugia, will unveil his innovative creations at The Mistral.

I Valtellina Restaurant, Milano
Paolo Manfredi was born at dinner time in Milan in 1973 from a second generation family of restaurateurs.
Before being captured by his passion for food, Paolo took some time to earn a degree in contemporary American history and worked for years as a business consultant and policy adviser for public and private companies.
Presently, Paolo runs his 25 years old family restaurant in Milan, Osteria I Valtellina, specialized in alpine and Lombardy cuisine. He especially loves to cook very old and long forgotten recipes that embody the main caracters of Italian cuisine: taste, memory and simplicity.

Born in La Spezia, Italy. Michele worked all over the world. In 2005, joined the prestigious two-Michelin starred Ristorante Sadler in Tokyo as Chef de Partie under the tutelage of Claudio Sadler. But it was in 2007 at Restaurant Sant Pau when his culinary skills helped earn the Tokyo branch two coveted Michelin stars. In 2008, Camolei participated in the Tokyo Armani Ristorante opening. Now as Head Chef of Osteria Ristorante Italiano, Camolei believes his worldly experiences have helped him appreciate cultural diversity and tradition, and remains very interested in developing new recipes and techniques. “It is important to understand modern food trends, while remaining respectful to Italian traditions.”

Italian Aromas Restaurant, Moscow
In Moscow, his name is synonymous of quality traditional Italian Cuisine. The Milan born chef has taught his culinary secrets to the Russians and he has formed a mob of talented young chefs who are now cooking everywhere in Moscow and Russia at large which makes him very proud. He´s an orthodox of Italian Cuisine and is against shortcuts and counterfeiting. Now after more than 11 years in Moscow and longer in the kitchen Pietro says: “his spirit and will” are the same as when he started and a proof of that is his brand new restaurant: “Italian Aromas”.

Osteria della Buona Condotta, Ornago, Milan
Chef Patron of Osteria della Buona Condotta, in Ornago, in the province of Milan (Lombardia), a specialist of Risotto and regional cuisine of Lombardia, Matteo has been officially nominated as Advisor of the Italian Minister of Culture Sandro Bondi. Without abandoning his daily occupation, Matteo works to protect the Italian Cuisine identity in Italy and abroad. He´s President of the Consorzio Cuochi della Lombardia.

Has been enthralled in the kitchen since the tender age of 14, where he took up an apprenticeship in his native Venice at one of the city’s most prestigious restaurants, Haig’s Grill. Since then he has worked in Europe (Brussels and Lyon), the Middle East (sultanate of Oman), and South America (Guyana) and more recently in Asia (Singapore and Hong Kong), carving himself a formidable reputation as a leading authority on Italian cooking. In his role in DiVino, he relishes the opportunity to introduce some new and exciting concepts to Hong Kong – many of them a result of wide international exposure.

Orient Express Copacabana Palace Hotel, Rio de Janeiro
Executive Chef of the Orient Express Copacabana Palace Hotel, Francesco is the point of reference of quality Italian Cuisine in Brazil. Before his current position at the Copacabana Palace he was Chef at the Hotel Cipriani Restaurant where he worked for thirteen years. He prepares both traditional and innovative Italian dishes in the most skillful way. Carli previously worked in the Orient-Express Hotel Cipriani and Palazzo Vendramin in Venice. Francesco arrived in Rio de Janeiro to spend a short season and now would not consider leaving. He´s the author of various books and his quality cuisine has been given him considerable recognition through the years.

With his strong sense of enthusiasm and passion for traditional Italian cuisine, Chef Paolo Federici knew immediately on his first visit to dynamic food-loving city, Hong Kong, that it was a place he we wanted to be a part of. And since his appointment in 2007 as Executive Chef of Va Bene, Lan Kwai Fong’s longest established Italian trattoria, his experience has only served to reinforce his commitment of offering genuine, authentic Italian food. Born in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy Paolo’s career has seen him work alongside several notable Chefs include the six-star Michelin Chef Alaine Ducasse’s protégé, Chef Stefano Baiocco.

Via del Borgo Ristorante, Concorezzo (Milano)
In 1994, Roberto Andreoni fulfilled the dream of a lifetime: he opened his own restaurant in a house in the historical center of Concorezzo, a town near Milan. It so happens, that´s the house where he was born in.
There, he prepares typical Italian food for his customers to be able to remember the dishes and flavors of the past but adding some international and regional courses.
He´s a member of the Associazione Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe in Italy and he´s the Vice president of the Consorzio Cuochi della Lombardia.

Chef de cuisine of the La Terrazza Italian restaurant at Grand Hyatt Shenzhen, was born and raised in Italy. His career has taken him to international five-star hotels all over the world, including Italy; Las Vegas, USA; Hong Kong; and Mumbai, India, etc. When he was chef de cuisine of Celini at Grand Hyatt Mumbai, the restaurant was named “Best Italian Restaurant 2008” by The Times of India. Chef Fabio joined the pre-opening team of Grand Hyatt Shenzhen earlier in August 2009, responsible for the opening of La Terrazza, recently named “Restaurant of the Year 2010” by That’s PRD Magazine.

La Credenza Ristorante, San Maurizio Canavese, Torino
Staying innovative, growing to a level of true quality, remaining a reference point of the haute cuisine of a city – Turin – and of Italy and doing it constantly for more than fifteen years is no mean undertaking. La Credenza, a project that Giovanni Grasso leads together with business partner Igor Macchia, obtained a Michelin star in 2008, the latest of a series of prestigious national and international awards.
Both Chefs have the same veneration of the best prime materials; both love change and originality, which does not mean astound at any cost but rather to journey – at times to fly – and then to return home to tradition. And as far as travelling is concerned, at La Credenza, exotic spices have also always been at home, the ones that the two cooks brought back from their trips, ones that still entered no Italian kitchen.

Michele dell’Aquila has developed his culinary skills in the best restaurants around the world: from his native Italy to Germany, then Spain, France, and Japan. In Italy, he worked at the prestigious 3-Michelin-star restaurant Don Alfonso 1890 in Sant’Agata sui Golfi. Then, his talents came to the fore during his tenure as chef at ‘Il Ristorante’ Fine Dining Italian Restaurant, at the Bulgari Resort Bali and Bulgari Resort Tokyo Restaurant. Now at “Il Ristorante Aurora” Michele´s cooking, who artfully combines concept, the right technique, and search for top-quality products, satisfies the palates of the customers in their search for high-quality products, original dishes, and appreciation for the chef’s creativity.

Ristorante Il Patio- Pollone (Biella)
Born in Biella and Chef Patron of the Ristorante Il Patio, which holds one Michelin star, located in that same province. After finishing his technical studies and a brief experience in the university, Chef Vineis catches what he calls his “disease”: cooking. From that moment on, he begins his education in his own restaurant. His cuisine is mediterranean, creative and from the terroir. A cuisine with a lot of personality

Aromi Restaurant and Terrace, Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
A veteran chef with almost 30 years experience, Padua born Franco Luise began his professional career at 16 and crafted his profession in Italy until 1984, working in a number of restaurants including the five star hotels Villa San Michele in Firenze and the Gritti Palace in Venice. He also worked in the three-star Michelin Restaurant Antica Osteria del Ponte in Milan.
He´s perhaps most noted for his role as executive chef of the legendary 60-seat Cip's del Palazzetto at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice and for opening the Cipriani restaurant at the Lapa Palace in Lisbon, Portugal and running it for five years. Prior to joining Hilton, Chef Franco was opening executive chef for Hotel Caruso in Ravello Italy. Today, Chef Luise is Executive Chef at the Aromi Restaurant and Terrace - the signature restaurant of the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. His mission is to balance Venetian tradition with innovation using readily available ingredients.

Specialist in Mediterranean modern fine dining kitchen, international, traditional and regional with an understanding of Chinese culture and kitchen. Currently Executive Sous Chef at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. From 2007- 2010 he worked at the Mistral (Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hotel, featured in the first edition of the Michelin guide of Hong Kong 2008). Claudio Dieli joined the Mistral from the Four Seasons where he held positions as Chef de Cuisine in Cairo, Egypt and Amman, Jordan. Prior to that Claudio enjoyed a sous chef position at the renowned Segreto in Dubai and was pre-opening head chef at Iniga Restaurant and Cocktail Bar in London. Claudio was trained at the Giovanni Falcone Hotel and Catering School, the Stage at the President Park Hotel and Stage at the Hotel Touring in Sicily, Italy.

Born in Pesaro, Italy, Luca began his culinary career at the age of 15. He grew up in an area between a mountain and the sea. So, it is no wonder that seafood and truffle are some of his favourite ingredients in creating savoury dishes. His endless search for new flavours as well as techniques is the drive behind his passion for food. He cites innovative cooking as the key to maintaining competitiveness, while feedback from guests helps refine the product. He was previously Italian Chef at the world-famous fine-dining restaurant, Sabatini Ristorante Italiano. Chef Luca’s career has taken him to various restaurants and hotels elsewhere around the world including Italy, Austria, USA and the award-winning BiCE Italian Restaurant of the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Hotel & Resort. His travel and culinary experiences are now reflected in the dining experience at H one, where diners will find the best Italian cuisine with the finest ingredients.

Pasqualino Barbasso is a man with a mission: to make high quality Italian pizza and to do it in the most entertaining way. This 36 year old pizzaiolo is among the most skilful Masters of acrobatic pizza-making and is one of the most notorious. In the last ten years Pasqualino has travelled around the world offering his stunning performances to enhance the quality and the good taste of Italian pizza made according to the true Italian traditions. Pasqualino begun his career in his family´s Pizzeria: “Il Falco Azzuro”, in Cammarata, in the Sicilian province of Agrigento, where he still works when he´s not travelling. He underwent formal pizza making training only at a later stage, because “the profession of high quality Italian pizza making is something that one cannot learn only in an empirical way”, as he points out. In 1998 he won the Sicily’s Acrobatic Pizza championship. By 2001 he was World Champion, a title that he won in 2002 for a second time. Since then he has made dozens of appearances in Italian restaurants and pizzeria around the world.

A true and dedicated pizza and dough professional, Nicola has been active in practically all branches of this field for going on 20 years now. From the area surrounding Venice, he has worked as a teacher of pizza making at Europizza di Caorle, where he has also managed frozen pizza production. Having owned and run Ristorante pizzeria Las Vegas in Padua, he also knows about running nonindustrial pizza businesses.

Franco Canta started to look for truffles for passion, in the woods of Langhe. Today his company exports this precious tuber throughout the world, from Europe to Asia. This is a complex art, which above all needs love and determination.
The truffle comes from a microbe, with a very thin microscopic roots. Where the vegetation is interlaced and dense, it can create a synergy between different plants, like hazelnut, willow and oak. It is there, on those roots, that Franco Canta and his generous dog know what to look for. Infallible nose of both man and dog, unmistakable and strong the fragrance of the truffle. In October the tuber can appear near the surface, but in November it can also be found at a depth of 15-20 centimetres underground. To extract it without any damage it is necessary to dig with delicacy and taking the right precautions. The dog is an indispensible part, and to train it properly it can take between five and six years. The result, in the end, the man and his eternal friend form a perfect close-knit undisputed couple.
Besides being an aristocratic presence on the table, the truffle is also a rare and appreciated present. Adequately protected and packed, it can be sent to any country, through express carriers. Today Franco exports in all the European countries, including Russia, but also in Asia: Japan, China and Singapore. This is how from an individual passion an important company can be created.

Born and raised in Milan. Luca’s career includes a stint in the famous 2 Michelin-star restaurant Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan, as well as international experience at London’s Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Relais and Chateaux in Bermuda, and in Australia at the Sheraton on the Park, Cypress Lakes Resort and The Westin Sydney. In 2001/2002, Luca also took part in the Salon Culinaire International de Londres Competition where he was awarded a Bronze medal for Senior Pasta Class and a Merit Award in the Nestle’ Master Chef Grand Prix. A number of his signature dishes from his London days have been published in Chefs of Distinction (2003 and 2004 editions). Since this January Luca is also a Contributor for the “Australian BBC Good Food Magazine”. Luca holds regular hands-on cooking classes at Casa Barilla in Annandale, Sydney, based on regional Italian cooking, showcasing the breadth of Italy’s cuisine and how it varies from region to region.

She´s lived in the Far East for over 8 years and in New York for 3 years before returning to Italy, and Singapore was where she began teaching cooking classes. Success came gradually by working with companies in the food business, with the media and with organizations. Her first book, written in English, was "Pasta in a Wok” (2004). Today she lives in Milan where she writes about food and entertaining. She teaches cooking classes for all ages (including children) both in Italy and abroad spreading her innate passion for her homeland. She´s also a culinary art consultant, a freelance contributor for the Italian food magazine, La Cucina Italiana, and collaborates with important websites that are dedicated to food and cooking (www.mangiarebene.com and www.3ricettesulcomo.it).

Vero Chocolates, Hong Kong
He begun as a student at the Professional Pastry School where he was taught by Louisa Ho, Chairwoman of the HK Bakery and Confectionery Association.
At the age of eighteen he joins the HK Mandarin Oriental Hotel as a trainee in the Pastry Department where he has the opportunity to learn from Master Pastry Chef Yves Matthey. When he was 24, Koo wins a completion of Swiss Creation at HOFEX.
Chef Koo was then recommended to go France to learn from Pierre Gagnaire, three-Michelin-star and number two pastry chef in the world, from whom he learnt new pastry making concepts and techniques. He then went to work at the Mandarin Oriental Malaysia and won a competition on the occasion of the King’s Birthday. In 2007, he received the Best Taste Award in the World Chocolate Masters Competition.
In 2008, Jeffery Koo was offered by Roger Chan & Veronica Pepe the Executive Chef position at VERO Chocolates where he still works.

Piccolo Lago Restaurant, Mergozzo & The River Club, Beijing
Marco Sacco was destined to become one of the most prominent chefs on the international culinary scene. His parents, Bruna and Gastone Sacco, opened their first restaurant, Il Torchio, the same month he was born. In 1972 they gave it up and opened, in 1974, Piccolo Lago, a new restaurant in Verbania, on Lake Mergozzo. Marco went into the kitchen right away, first for fun, then to learn and later to work. The attraction was irresistible and permanent. As the years went by, his attraction for the kitchen grew stronger. He began to apprentice under some of Europe’s most influential chefs, acquiring top-notch professional know-how. In the years that followed, Marco worked next to his father at Piccolo Lago, doing his own research and defining his identity as a chef in his own right. A characteristic openness to innovation and change attracted the attention of the culinary world to this talented emerging chef. In 2004 Piccolo Lago was awarded its first Michelin star, and only three years later, its second. The first and most visible result of Marco Sacco as a well-rounded chef is Piccolo Lago’s new kitchen. While designed for food preparation, it also conveys the drive, harmony and deep satisfaction that the cook derives from offering his diners a perfect balance between quality, beauty and taste. In 2010 Marco opened his first restaurant in Beijing, the River Club.

Renowned Pastry Master.
He´s been working as a pastry chef for longer than 20 years, a time when his passion for painting and sculpture approached him to this art form where cooking becomes creativity in its utmost expression.
His international exposure has helped him specialize in various aspects of pastry.
Today, he´s one of the most saught after teachers for his ability to make his students get involved.
Chef Schaberreiter is also one of Fabbri 1905 consultants.