Chef Claudio Santini 

Born in Civitavecchia in 1991, Claudio Santini approached the world of catering at a very young age. At 16 he was already a kitchen porter, and at 21 a chef. These early choices led him to take a step back, working as a line cook during a summer season in Sardinia, followed by two experiences in Trentino – at Hotel Alpi and Hotel Astoria – as a sous chef. 

Sliced beetroot with basil mousse and carrots

At the 4-star Hotel Dominik in Bressanone, he once again took the reins of a kitchen, and in Millau, France, he led the Coise restaurant and, for the first time, also managed a banqueting and catering service. In Hyères, on the French Riviera, he designed and directed the kitchen of the Hotel Lilou, while in Albania he oversaw the opening of a 5-star resort, the Hotel Vlora Priam, Affiliated by Meliá. At the beginning of 2025, he accepted the invitation of the 5*L Grand Hotel Fasano in Gardone Riviera (BS), to take on the role of Executive Chef of the Trattoria Il Pescatore and the Magnolia bistro.

Fisherman’s lasagna

Do you have a favorite time of year or a set of ingredients you look forward to working with?

That’s an excellent question! I don’t have just one season I prefer, but I can say that every season has its charm. For example, spring brings fresh herbs and fields full of vegetables, allowing us to create delicate and flavourful dishes. Spring brings mushrooms, fava beans, colors, and delicate flavours, but at the same time, a true freshness for our palates. This is also why, thanks to nature, we can create works of art.

What would you do if you weren’t a chef?

If I weren’t a chef, I might be an artist since I enjoy drawing portraits or people… drawing is the same language as cooking, the same thing, and it is the same commitment you put into preparing a dish or a painting. Ultimately, it’s us; first, we elaborate the dish with a recipe, then we draw it on canvas or paper, and then we transfer it onto a plate we choose specifically for that creation.

Do your personal preferences influence the menu in any way?

Well, every chef enhances their menu based on their culinary journey. In my recent years, I’ve had an intense journey, but at the same time, with intense flavours, like Albania and France. They are two completely different countries, but at the same time, they have something in common… when I create a dish, I think of total chaos because I don’t have a defined line or a fixed plating. I let it go a lot from that moment, but there are days when I’m inspired by intensity and some by total calm from a delicate dish. And then, when I cook, I always think of someone I love.

Fregola pasta with clams and roe

What do you think is the most overrated food trend right now?

The current gastronomic trend might be making an excessive dish with too many elements on the plate, meaning elaborating or creating a dish with too many combinations that often might lead a client not to understand what we’ve put on the plate. That’s why when creating a culinary sculpture, you should always use 3 main products, and then create a garnish of sauces and contrasts that aren’t excessive.

But we must also not underestimate secondary ingredients, such as offal, which are humble scraps but can be used to create an excellent, simple yet tasty dish using few ingredients.

When are you happiest?

I am happy and I make myself happy when I can help someone praise a person who is struggling to emerge. Not all of us are strong inside; I am also weak inside. I am a particular chef; I am not the classic chef. I am very kind, but I put myself aside to help people in need when I could be thinking of myself… all of this makes me proud and strong, but most of all, happy with myself and what I do.

Iberian pork with honey, carrots, fava beans, and potatoes

When you’re not in the kitchen, where can we find you?

For me, the kitchen is relaxation; it’s a temple where I close myself off with a knife in hand, alone, with some background music, and I think, I create; it helps me relax and reflect. But I also don’t deny that I use sports to coincide with cooking. But the kitchen is like entering a sacred place, and it also makes you travel mentally.

What’s your favorite place to dine out?

One of my favorite places is France; I consider its gastronomy to be on par with Italian… but the world is full of countries and cities where we can find the difference that can be in a dish… where you find ingredients, herbs, and dishes that we don’t have in Italy. It’s my true belief that travelling and exploring leads to a greater gastronomic understanding.

Mediterranean-style sea bass

What’s your favorite takeout or comfort food?

My favorite comfort food would be a good parmigiana or a baked pasta made by my grandmother. It all starts there, with the grandmother from whom all of us inherited the legacy of cooking, the manual skill of creating true and good cuisine. Only they know how to do it—those who have a history, those who have that manual skill to make stuffed pasta, tagliatelle, all those Italian flavours to make you feel at home.

What makes the local culinary scene so exciting?

The local culinary scene is so exciting because it is a perfect balance between tradition and innovation. There are primary flavours that tell stories of generations; as I mentioned above, our grandmothers pass down Italian cuisine through generations, so everything that represents Italian taste and culture. Then we find gastronomic events where collaborations are created between chefs and the desire to collaborate and develop new things or projects together. There is a continuous pursuit of excellence, which is reflected in the flavours and atmospheres of our culinary scene.

Pike-perch meunière with spinach and candied citrus

What is the dish you are most proud of having created and why ?

Linguine with cuttlefish and black bread cream is the dish i am most proud of having created. It reflects my childhood and Mediterranean flavors.

LINGUINE WITH CUTTLEFISH AND BLACK BREAD CREAM.

Ingredients for 4 people:

For the Black Bread Cream:

• 100 g white cuttlefish (already cleaned)
• 100 g cuttlefish ink
• 3 liters vegetable broth
• 3 whole cuttlefish (uncleaned)
• White wine q.s.
• 2 onions
• 1 loaf (300/400 g) of anise black bread

Method:

• Cut the onion into julienne strips.
• Then take the whole cuttlefish, remove the bone, and cut into large pieces.
• Place the chopped onion in a rondeau pan and braise for 15 minutes.
• Then add the cuttlefish pieces and brown everything together with the cuttlefish ink.
• Once browned, deglaze with white wine and let it evaporate. Once evaporated, add the broth and pour it into the mixture.
• Let it reduce until at least half the quantity has evaporated. Strain and then add the bread, put it back on the heat and let it cook again.
• Once cooked, blend and strain, and your cream will be ready.
• Next, take the cleaned white baby cuttlefish and cut them into julienne strips.
• In a pan, quickly sear them and set aside, seasoning with salt and raw olive oil.
• Take out the sea asparagus and blanche them for 30 seconds, then cool them down.
• With a piece of black bread, make dried bread.
• Cook the linguine and cream them with black bread cream.
• Then plate the linguine, lay the crispy black bread on top, followed by the baby cuttlefish and finally the sea asparagus, and drizzle with olive oil at the end.

You have friends over for dinner tonight. What’s on the table?

If I have friends over, it means filling the table from aperitifs to dessert. It means sitting down and creating something exceptional and unique for them, taking them on a culinary journey they’ve never tasted before, transporting their taste and palate to another planet. Cooking for someone is truly meaningful, especially when they’re dining at your place.

Dark chocolate, pumpkin seed Ice cream and raspberries coulis

Name your favorite country that has it all: food, culture, and nightlife.

I consider France to be on par with Italy.

Can you tell us more about the cuisine of your restaurants?

Can you tell us more about the cuisine in your restaurants?

I consider Ristorante Il Magnolia to be the essence of my grandmother’s cooking from childhood. As I mentioned earlier, at Il Magnolia, you’ll find simple, classic, yet modern tradition.

Il Pescatore reflects me and my culinary journey up to today, and one I will continue as long as I don’t tire of it. Il Pescatore is a gourmet, gastronomic fish restaurant where we feature our modern, revisited cuisine with intense and incisive Mediterranean flavorrs. With this cuisine, I aim to reach high levels.