If you love cooking and dream of becoming a successful chef, you know well that training is essential to acquire the skills and techniques necessary to best express your creativity and talent. The Congusto Institute is one of the most prestigious and innovative cooking schools in Italy, which offers high-level professional courses, taught by qualified teachers. But, in addition to studying and practicing, there is another way to learn and improve: observing and taking example from the great masters of Italian cuisine, who with their style, their research and their personality have been able to conquer the palate and the hearts of millions of people around the world. In this article we introduce you to some of the best Italian chefs from which to draw inspiration for your professional future, discovering their stories, their recipes and their secrets.
Massimo Bottura - Osteria Francescana (Modena)
Massimo Bottura is one of the most famous and awarded chefs in the world, with three Michelin stars and first place in the World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking in 2016, 2018 and 2021. His cuisine is a mix of tradition and innovation, culture and art , of emotion and provocation. In his Osteria Francescana in Modena, Bottura offers dishes that tell of his land, Emilia-Romagna, but also of his personal and professional journey, reinterpreting the classic recipes of Italian gastronomy in a contemporary key. Some examples are his famous "Oops! I dropped my fruit tart", an ironic reinterpretation of the classic tart, or his "The broth of everything", a tribute to his grandmother and her cappelletti soup. Bottura is also a social entrepreneur, who created the Food for Soul foundation, which fights food waste and promotes social inclusion through the creation of solidarity refectories in various cities around the world.
Enrico Crippa - Piazza Duomo (Alba)
Enrico Crippa is a starred chef who has made simplicity and nature his strong points. In his Piazza Duomo in Alba, which boasts three Michelin stars and 17th place in the World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking, Crippa offers cuisine based on the quality and seasonality of raw materials, in particular vegetables, which he personally grows in his garden of 2 hectares. His recipes are a balance of flavors, colors and textures, which enhance the product without masking it. Among the most famous dishes is the salad of 21, 31, 41, 51 herbs, flowers and sprouts, which changes every day based on the availability of the garden, or his risotto with white Alba truffle, a specialty of the Piedmontese territory.
Enrico Bartolini - Enrico Bartolini at Mudec (Milan)
Enrico Bartolini is the most starred chef in Italy, with 9 Michelin stars in total, including 3 for his restaurant in Milan, where he offers contemporary and creative cuisine. Bartolini has a global vision of cuisine, which led him to travel and experiment with different gastronomic cultures, without losing sight of his Tuscan roots. His dishes are a combination of technique and taste, tradition and innovation, elegance and surprise. Among its most representative dishes is the "Savory Cappuccino", a chickpea soup with prawns and coffee, or "Rice, gold and saffron", a tribute to the city of Milan and its symbol, the Duomo.
Massimiliano Alajmo - Le Calandre (Rubano)
Massimiliano Alajmo is a chef who achieved three Michelin stars at just 28 years old, becoming the youngest in the world to achieve this milestone. His restaurant Le Calandre is located in Rubano, in the province of Padua, where Alajmo offers a cuisine that he defines as "sensory synthesis", based on the essentiality, purity and harmony of flavours. His dishes are the result of continuous research and a profound knowledge of raw materials, which are worked with respect and skill. Among the most famous dishes is the "Soft parmesan", a cloud of cheese that melts in the mouth, or the "Open raviolo", a pasta filled with butter and black truffle.
Antonia Klugmann - The Embankment in Vencò (Dolegna del Collio)
Antonia Klugmann is a chef who has made sensitivity and curiosity her working tools. In his restaurant, L'Argine a Vencò, located in a country house in Friuli Venezia Giulia, near the border with Slovenia, Klugmann offers cuisine that reflects his multicultural identity and connection with the territory. The recipes are the result of continuous experimentation and a search for balance between the ingredients, which are often unusual and unusual. Among his most original dishes is rice, milk and vinegar, an acidic version of the classic Milanese risotto, or pork, rhubarb and cocoa, a risky but harmonious combination.
Carlo Cracco - Cracco (Milan)
Carlo Cracco is a chef famous for his television programs, but also for his innovative and refined cuisine. The Cracco restaurant, located in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, has a Michelin star and offers dishes that combine Milanese tradition with creativity and experimentation. Cracco is known for having reinvented some classics of Italian cuisine, such as saffron risotto, Milanese cutlet or tiramisu, adding surprising and original elements. Among his most famous dishes is "Cracco's Egg", a hard-boiled egg with liquid yolk, or his "Spaghetti al pomodoro", a pasta cooked in tomato juice.
Ciccio Sultano - Cathedral (Ragusa)
Ciccio Sultano is a chef from Ragusa who has two Michelin stars for his Duomo restaurant, where he offers cuisine that combines Sicilian tradition with creativity and experimentation. Sultano has a profound knowledge of the raw materials and flavors of his land, which he enhances with modern and original techniques. His dishes are a sensorial and cultural journey, which tells the story and identity of Sicily. Among the most representative dishes is the "Fish and vegetable couscous", a reinterpretation of the typical dish of eastern Sicily, or the "Cannolo decomposto", a deconstruction of the most famous dessert on the island.
Davide Oldani - D'O (Cornaredo)
Davide Oldani is the chef who invented pop cuisine, a concept based on simplicity, quality and accessibility. His D'O restaurant, located in Cornaredo, in the province of Milan, has two Michelin stars and offers simple but refined dishes, at reasonable prices, with particular attention to sustainability and well-being. Oldani has an ethical and social vision of cooking, which has led him to collaborate with various humanitarian and cultural projects. His dishes are a balance of taste and health, of tradition and innovation, of elegance and simplicity. Among the most famous is the "Caramelized Onion", a whole onion cooked in the oven with sugar and balsamic vinegar, or the "Parmesan Ice Cream", a savory ice cream with parmesan flakes.
Antonino Cannavacciuolo - Villa Crespi (Orta San Giulio)
Antonino Cannavacciuolo is a Neapolitan chef who was able to combine his southern origins with northern influences, where he moved to manage, together with his wife, the historic Moorish-style residence Villa Crespi, on Lake Orta. Here he obtained three Michelin stars and created a cuisine of sea and land, which expresses his identity and his talent. Among the most famous dishes is the "Risotto with lemon, red prawns and liquorice", a perfect synthesis of his gastronomic journey. Cannavacciuolo is also a television personality, known for his participation in Masterchef Italia and Cucine da notte, where he makes his experience and friendliness available.
Norbert Niederkofler - Atelier Moessmer (Brunico)
Norbert Niederkofler is a South Tyrolean chef who gave life to the concept of "Cook the Mountain", a cooking philosophy based on respect for nature, seasonality and sustainability. In his Atelier Moessmer, housed in a 19th century villa in Brunico, Norbert offers a unique gastronomic experience, which involves all the senses and which enhances local raw materials, processed with modern and original techniques. Its menu, which changes daily, has received three Michelin stars and ranked 36th in the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Norbert is also an entrepreneur and popularizer, who founded the Care's festival.
These are just some of the best Italian chefs to draw inspiration from for your professional future. Each of them has a different history, style and philosophy, but they all share passion, dedication and the desire to convey emotions through cooking. If you want to follow in their footsteps and become a successful chef, the Congusto Institute offers you the opportunity to attend professional cooking courses , where you can learn the basics, techniques and secrets of this fascinating and stimulating profession.
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Photo: Chef Enrico Bartolini on the cover
