Born and raised in Calabria, the toe on Italy’s boot and the region noted for producing n’duja, as a child, Francesco was adamant he didn’t want to be a chef. Mainly concerned with how much time he could spend playing football, it was only his desire to buy a pair of Levi’s that saw him enter the kitchen. But like all great chefs, fell in love with it when he did. He started work in his uncle’s gelateria, mastering the art of Italian cakes and gelatos by the age of nine. At fourteen, he met renowned Italian chef Angelo Sabetta who, amazed by his Mangia e Bevi creation (a combo of sorbet and fresh fruit), encouraged him to nurture his talent and study to become a chef.
After finishing his culinary training, in 1992 he moved from Calabria to Rome and joined The Grand Hotel. Inspired by the international vibe, he took the leap and left for London to learn English where he landed a job at The Dorchester in Mayfair, working under the respected Willi Elsener and Henry Brosi before returning to Rome to take up a position at Michelin-starred La Terrazza dell’Eden. Ever since then, staying still hasn’t been his forte. He opened the Santini restaurants in Edinburgh and Milan, the Royal Sporting Club in Bangkok, Franco’s on Jermyn Street and St Alban in London, as well as venues across the world alongside restaurateur Alan Yau, a good friend and a mentor.
At the age of 34, he made his name in London at L’Anima where dishes from Calabria, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia took centre stage. A proud ambassador of all things southern Italian, he began advising the Calabrian government on how to promote their artisan goods in the UK, including citrus fruit bergamot and the spicy sausage n’duja.
After a 7 year adventure at L’Anima, in June 2015, he joined Sartoria in Mayfair as chef patron, with plans to create a ‘temple of Italian cuisine’. With his first cookbook Mezzogiorno: Southern Italian cooking, published in Autumn of the same year.
In the past few years, he has appeared on BBC shows including Saturday Kitchen, MasterChef and on the Italian edition of Hell’s Kitchen with chef extraordinaire Carlo Cracco. A Taste of London devoted veteran, he was appointed ‘Master of Taste’ for the 2016 edition of House of Peroni.