Leo Viola becomes the representative of Italy at Chef Balfegó 2024

Chef Leo Viola, from the restaurant A-Spurcacciuna de Savona, has been proclaimed winner of the Italian semi-final held in Rome on 30 September, thus becoming one of the eight finalists to compete in the grand final of Chef Balfegó on 28 October 2024 in Madrid.

The exceptional jury, consisting of Paolo Casagrande, from the restaurant Lasarte***, Francesco Apreda, from Idylio by Apreda*, and Riccardo Monco, from the restaurant EnotecaPinchiorri ***, judged the two gastronomic proposals presented by the 5 contestants who displayed their creativity and technique in a bid to obtain the title of Italian representative at the grand final of the contest. The competitors included Leo, Andrea Politano (Il Cenacolo Osteria), Giuliano Fusaro (Terrazza Duomo 21), Dennis Bernabei (INEO) and Luca Pessina (The Sanctuary).

The event began with a kaitai ceremony, where the over 200 attendees witnessed the millenary Japanese art of cutting a 166 kg bluefin tuna specimen. The evening was sponsored by TheFork, Fagor Professional, Le Nouveau Chef, Minami Cuchillos Japoneses, Caviaroli, Porto Muiños, GinRaw, Acqua Filette, Bodegas Gancedo and Ittica Urbano.

While waiting to know the last finalist who will arrive from Germany, Leo Viola joins the other two international finalists, Rui Silva, Portugal’s representative of the restaurant Euskalduna Studio*  (Porto) and Brandon de Bruin, representative of Benelux from the restaurant De Kromme Dissel* (Heelsum), to compete once again at the Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in Madrid, together with the other finalists from Spain.

Only one semi-final left to get to know all the finalists! On 14 October in Munich, we will discover the German representative for this edition.