Gianni! For me a real Italian chef at heart. Everything about him is CHEF!
Originally from Lunigiana and like many other chefs, he inherited his culinary heritage for good food from his great-grandparents who ran the 'Osteria Dalla Meghina' in Aulla (Tuscany).
At the age of fourteen, he already dreamed of becoming a chef.
Not much later, he meets his lovely wife Fulvia, who will become his inseparable companion in work and life. In 1987 they open restaurant Il Rigoletto together, which quickly becomes the best restaurant in Massa Carrara.
Their desire to find a place more suited to their dreams leads them ten years later to move to Reggiolo where this new region also brings a new gastronomic culture. In 2002, the restaurant received its first Michelin star, followed by its 2nd in 2005.
Gianni’s cuisine is an open invitation to discover traditional cooking featuring the very best of regional produce as well as creative, balanced dishes that intensify flavors and aromas.
His cuisine is based on good basic elements, meaning fresh raw materials that he personally search out and select, with particular attention to regional products in season. Every single ingredient has its own history, so he limits himself when experimenting with new dishes and combinations that, at first sight, may seem unthinkable. In fact, he is convinced that each dish must have its own character and should be a reflection of his values, infinite devotion and passion for cuisine.
In 2012, drama strikes.
Due to the severe earthquake, Il Rigoletto has to close its doors.
However, the family does not give up and opens in 2013 a new and beautiful restaurant with an idyllic courtyard in a historic building in the heart of the city of Reggio: Caffè Arti e Mestieri.
This time, their grown son Federico joins his father in the kitchen and it soon turns out that he shares the same culinary genes as Gianni.
A new challenge with the desire to create something where the guests feel at home. A new gem in the city of Reggio where their infectious enthusiasm, the will to continue to grow and improve and the need to convey the pleasure of the culinary tradition are central. These are the pillars with which the D'Amato family has always distinguished itself over the past twenty-five years of restaurant activity.
"Between the sea and the olive trees, that's where you will find us"
But this is not where their adventure ends...the couple recently left for Tellàro, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, where they opened the doors of a new culinary place called "Gianni D'Amato" which is located in the former restaurant Locanda Miranda.
The family is still convinced that they do the most beautiful work in the world!
They have turned a new page and this time have ended up in magical Tellaro between the sea and the olive trees.
Gianni, strengthened by the historical knowledge of this area, again knows how to work with the best local products from, among others, the markets of Spezia and Lerici, where small local fishing boats operate.
I got to know the D'Amato Family at an event and was very impressed with their way of working in the kitchen. Not as you would think with Italians, nice and lively, exuberant and enthusiastic, but quiet, concentrated and focused.
In a corner of the kitchen, among the other International chefs, Fulvia was quietly making and filling pasta. As if she was at home in her kitchen, preparing the family meal. Every now and then she would turn to observe the atmosphere and then continue. With her slender fingers she quickly assembled the tortellini, ravioli, pansotti, mezzelune and fagottini.
The dishes they conjured up were sublime in simplicity and taste.
In the years that followed, I worked a lot with Giovanni and Fulvia for events in Amsterdam, Dubai, Munich and Rheingau.
It is a pleasure to work with these people and if the opportunity arises they will be among the first I will approach!
"The kitchen belongs to me, it is inside me.
As a child I remember when my grandfather cooked and you could smell the scents down the stairs, this is a memory that I will carry with me forever, and that, with the various nuances I will try to convey to those who have always tried to follow me. I dedicate all this to Federico".
-Gianni-
Gianni D'Amato | Miranda | Tellaro
Via Fiascherino 92
19032 Tellaro Liguria
Italy
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