Danilo’s Story

From Italy…

I come from Abruzzo, a small region in central Italy steeped in culinary tradition. I was lucky enough to grow up in a stereotypical Italian family, where my Grandma would make us fresh pasta, and my mother baked beautiful cakes. Today, I try to bring these traditions into everything I do. Although dishes from Abruzzo are humble, the ingredients are always fresh and mealtimes mean bringing people together. These are the values I treasure most – and what I have always brought with me during my career. I trained across Michelin-starred restaurants such as Imola’s San Domenico, Verona’s Perbellini and London’s Alain Ducasse and Zafferano.

…to London…

For 10 years, I acted as head chef at the Italian Embassy in London. Here I was able to reconnect with my roots after years of high-pressure gigs. The embassy helped me get in touch with my early aspirations in hospitality by cooking for events, intimate dinners and large galas. This boosted my ability to balance professionalism with warmth and a personal touch: a key part of the job was entertaining guests and dignitaries. In 2016, I published my first cookbook, ‘4 Grosvenor Square: The Menu of the Italian Embassy in London’.

…& Beyond

Today my love for Italian cooking is explored through private and corporate events I organise, as well as my food, drink and restaurant consultancy that allows me to take part in projects worldwide. At the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020, like most of us, I moved a large part of my activities online, finding a new and exciting passion in creating content. With a reach of over 400,000 people across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, social media has helped fuel my creativity. I now share my love for Italian recipes with food lovers worldwide.