We’ve made no secret of the fact that Italian food is one of the many reasons that we love Italy. We’re also big fans of enjoying experiences during any Italy holiday. It brings the country to life even more and interacting with the locals will take your holiday experience to a whole new level.
As a result, we’re super excited to today launch a new collaboration with the incredibly talented Alessio Berionni.
Alessio has an impressive CV! Born in 1991 in Gualdo Tadino, a small town in rural Umbria, Alessio developed a love and passion for cooking from an early age in his nonna‘s kitchen. Every Sunday he would watch his grandmother preparing the pasta dough and making cappelletti and tortellini by hand. From her, he learned the importance of using the best ingredients to create simple Italian dishes that tasted like perfection.
He then built on the firm foundations he had learned at home by studying at the Assisi hotel school. At just 17, he continued to follow his culinary dreams, choosing to work and study abroad to hone his skills yet further. He lived in London for a number of years, refining his skills under the expert tutorage of world famous chefs such as Alaine Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay. His skills were taken to new heights in prestigious establishments such as the 3 Michelin star Gringling Gibbons restaurant at the gorgeous Stapleford Park. Certainly, the influence of his time in UK Michelin-starred establishments is clear to see in the elegance and quality of the dishes which he delights clients with today.
However, as with many Italians living abroad, the draw back to his home country proved too much and he returned to Italy in 2019, accompanied by his wife who is also a talented chef. Incidentally, Alessio claims that the best dish he has ever tasted that was cooked by someone else was his wife’s aubergine parmigiana! Since his return to Italy, he has fulfilled another culinary dream – to become a personal chef, sharing his passion and skills with private clients.
The loss to the UK restaurant business is, selfishly, our gain! These days, we’re proud to recommend Alessio to our clients. Alessio can either be your personal chef for your entire stay in Umbria or Tuscany, or you can hire his services for just a single meal, perhaps to mark a special occasion. Whilst his preferred style is contemporary, he can just as easily serve up traditional local dishes.
This ability to create a variety of dishes in different styles reflects the fact that the roots of his cooking style lie firmly in Italy but that he has also clearly been influenced by the cuisine of both the UK and France. With a plethora of menu options to provide you with initial inspiration, he will always work with you to design a bespoke menu perfect for your group. Why not opt for his favourite dishes – pork belly followed by chocolate mousse?!!
The good news is that Alessio also offers a 360 degree service. What this means is that he’ll not only do the shopping and cooking, but he’ll also clean up afterwards, meaning that you can go on relaxing, safe in the knowledge that you won’t be needing to do the dishes in the morning!
If you’re looking to learn from Alessio, then we can also recommend opting to enjoy one of his cookery classes. In Alessio’s words, ‘Cooking is not just a passion but it is also a need.’ On a very practical level, he recognises that ‘We will all eat three meals a day for the rest of our lives so at least one of these has to be home cooked.’ With the firm belief that ‘we are what we eat,’ he would love to inspire others to cook more. He also loves the fact that, through his cookery classes, he can not just pass on some of the skills he learned from his formal chef’s training but also some of those family secrets that he was lucky enough to learn as a child from his beloved nonna.
To check Alessio’s availability and to receive a quote, get in touch with him at ab.yourpersonalchef@gmail.com or find out more at his website, AB Personal. The good news is that we have a special offer in place with Alessio. Quote ‘Bookings For You‘ when booking and you’ll be treated to a complimentary bottle of wine with any experience that you book with him. It’s then time to just sit back and look forward to enjoying the most incredible culinary experience on your Umbria or Tuscany holiday.
That said, we’re fully aware that, for some, there may be a few months wait until you’re in Italy and you can experience Alessio’a cooking for yourself, so watch this space…! Alessio has kindly given us permission to share some of his favourite recipes that you can easily re-create at home in the meantime! We’ll be sharing these with you soon!