Pino Cuttaia

Chef at La Madia** (Licata, Sicily, Italy)

Daily commitment, memory and research into the domestic and traditional gestures common to Sicilian cuisine inspire Pino Cuttaia's creative cooking, capable of proposing entire landscapes within a dish.

Although born in Licata (Sicily), Pino and his family moved north to Piedmont. He lived in Turin, where he studied and worked in a factory. At the time, cooking was just a hobby, but it eventually became his profession, taking him to restaurants such as Il Sorriso (Soriso, Novara) and Il Patio (Pollone, Biella).

Finally, Cuttaia returned to his native Sicily and his cooking took on a new meaning, rediscovering the ingredients and recipes of his childhood. This is how he came up with the idea of reinventing memories, turning dishes into symbols of the gastronomic history of his territory.

In 2000, together with his wife Loredana, he opened his own restaurant, La Madia, which eventually won two Michelin stars. In 2013 he opened Uovodiseppia,a shop selling typical Sicilian products, which he produces himself.