| Head Chef Davide Ghizzoni dreamed of becoming a chef his entire life, spending much of his childhood at the apron of his grandmother. Committed to passing on her legacy and her talents, she taught her family how to eat, enjoy, and prepare the foods of their ancestry. Both grandparents were professional chefs, owning and operating a restaurant their entire lives and encouraging their grandson to do the same. Davide entered culinary school at the young age of sixteen, leaving home to pursue a professional apprenticeship. His career began at Alfaro, a restaurant specializing in the abundant seafood of the area. The next five years were spent training in the city of Modena, where he manned the stoves of Antiqua Tratoria de Felicia, before relocating to Barcelona, Spain as a member of the Italian contingent tasked with creating the foods of the homeland for hundreds of Olympic athletes and dignitaries. In 1994, a meeting with an Italian neighbor led to a dramatic offer - Executive Chef for the grand opening of Il Moro Ristorante in Los Angeles, California. In 1999, he returned to Italy to open his own restaurant in the very community in which he was raised, preparing the beloved foods of his childhood, returning to Los Angeles five years later to once again lead the kitchens of Il Moro. |
How does one recognize authentic, regional Italian cooking? Must you be dining in that region in order to experience this rarity, or is a talented cook capable of recreating this food elsewhere? What about the flavors and the taste memories… the history, tradition, and culture that inevitably come into play? How can you be certain? You are convinced when the chef closes his eyes and reminisces about his grandmother’s cooking… the smells, the sounds, the precise way that she would work the dough. You know it when he describes the food of his childhood, breathes deeply and smiles broadly, and then jumps up from his chair and proclaims, “Come with me. Let me show you.” Suddenly, you are experiencing his treasured past, recreated through a kitchen that possesses all of the traditions, the culture, the language, the love and the passion of his life in Italy – specifically a tiny areas just outside of Bologna, Italy – to this day the towns that Chef Davide Ghizzoni call home. This is the real thing. |
