What made you want to become a chef? Early influences?
I’ve always wanted to cook, to express emotion through dishes. Over time I realised how each dish could create unique sensations, comparable to those of other art forms, like painting. I’m inspired by the Ligurian culinary tradition and the Italian tradition of mixing multicultural influences from all over the world.
How long have you been at Acciuga?
I opened the restaurant two and half years ago.
How do you feel London’s attitude to food compares to Italy?
In Italy there is a passion for food that we carry from the day we are born, and it’s fed over time. Whereas London has an obsession with food, with people talking about it all the time and everywhere, always looking for new culinary stimulus. But London is a city with a huge growth in its attitude to food, especially over the last 15 years.
What do you miss most about Italy?
The sea. The Mediterranean sea with its fruit and its perfumes. And I miss the variety: in Italy each region and area is distinct from each other.
Other than Acciuga, where is your favourite place to eat in west London?
I love to eat at Kitchen W8, Macellaio Roberto Costa and Il Trillo.
Where do you go to chill out?
I like to go to the cinema or to The National Gallery.
If you hadn’t become a chef, what might you have done?
Probably I would have become a lawyer; I studied law in my earlier days.
What are you most proud of?
My kitchen staff; they show me how to grow and improve daily. This gives me the ability to create and pursue new ideas and projects.
Where is your favourite place in the world?
Varazze, where my mother’s family come from, and where I spent the first few years of my life.
Who do you admire most, and why?
I really admire Gualtiero Marchesi for the imprint that he had on Italian cuisine.
In an ideal world, what would you have achieved by the time you retire?
I’d love to make my mark on how Italian cuisine is seen internationally.
