At just thirty-one years old, LORENZO COGO is the youngest Michelin-starred chef-owner in Italy. His creative, instinctive way of cooking, combined with his experience cooking in some of the world’s best restaurants, has made him one of the most exciting figures in modern Italian cuisine.

To gain a Michelin star is something many chefs strive for throughout their professional lives; Lorenzo Cogo managed it by the time he was twenty-five. His ability to rethink traditional recipes and play around with them by drawing on influences from around the world helped cement his place among the Italian culinary elite.

Born in 1986 in Thiene, Vicenza, LORENZO COGO already had cooking in his blood – his father owned a traditional trattoria and before that, his grandfather was a chef. From his first taste of fresh milk he knew he would follow in his family’s footsteps, and after completing his studies, Lorenzo set his sights on travelling the world to learn as much about food as he possibly could.

His first international job took him to the other side of the world, where Lorenzo worked in Melbourne, Australia, with acclaimed chef Shannon Bennett at Vue de Monde. A short move to Sydney meant he had the chance to work with Mark Best at the famous Marque Restaurant, before the opportunity of a lifetime to work with Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck meant packing his bags for London.

LORENZO COGO still wasn’t finished with his quest to study international cuisine. After working at The Fat Duck, he travelled to Tokyo to work with three Michelin-starred chef Seiji Yamamoto at his legendary restaurant Nihon Ryori Ryugin. This was an important milestone in Lorenzo’s development, as Seiji taught him how to properly handle raw ingredients, the art of resourceful cooking and how to properly respect tradition, which had a profound effect on his cooking style. He then went to work with the godfather of European barbecue Victor Arguinzoniz at Asador Etxebarri in Spain. Victor’s love of cooking over open flames inspired Lorenzo, and he fell in love with cooking on traditional grills. ‘Working with Victor Arguinzoniz was a dream job,’ he tells us. ‘There was so much energy in the kitchen, so much passion with fire.’

À tout juste trente et un ans, LORENZO COGO est le plus jeune chef propriétaire étoilé d'Italie. Sa façon créative et instinctive de cuisiner, combinée à son expérience culinaire dans certains des meilleurs restaurants du monde, a fait de lui l'une des figures les plus excitantes de la cuisine italienne moderne.

Gagner une étoile Michelin est quelque chose que de nombreux chefs recherchent tout au long de leur vie professionnelle ; LORENZO COGO y est parvenu à l'âge de vingt-cinq ans. Sa capacité à repenser les recettes traditionnelles et à jouer avec elles en s'inspirant d'influences du monde entier a contribué à cimenter sa place parmi l'élite culinaire italienne.

Né en 1986 à Thiene, Vicence, Lorenzo avait déjà la cuisine dans le sang – son père possédait une trattoria traditionnelle et avant cela, son grand-père était chef cuisinier. Dès son premier goût de lait frais, il savait qu'il suivrait les traces de sa famille, et après avoir terminé ses études, Lorenzo a décidé de parcourir le monde pour en apprendre le plus possible sur la nourriture.

Son premier emploi international l'a emmené à l'autre bout du monde, où Lorenzo a travaillé à Melbourne, en Australie, avec la célèbre chef Shannon Bennett à Vue de Monde. Un court déménagement à Sydney lui a permis de travailler avec Mark Best au célèbre restaurant Marque, avant que l'opportunité de sa vie de travailler avec Heston Blumenthal au Fat Duck ne signifie faire ses valises pour Londres.

LORENZO COGO n'avait toujours pas terminé sa quête pour étudier la cuisine internationale. Après avoir travaillé au Fat Duck, il s'est rendu à Tokyo pour travailler avec le chef trois étoiles Michelin Seiji Yamamoto dans son légendaire restaurant Nihon Ryori Ryugin. Ce fut une étape importante dans le développement de Lorenzo, car Seiji lui a appris à gérer correctement les ingrédients bruts, l'art de la cuisine ingénieuse et comment respecter correctement la tradition, ce qui a eu un effet profond sur son style de cuisine. Il part ensuite travailler avec le parrain du barbecue européen Victor Arguinzoniz chez Asador Etxebarri en Espagne. L'amour de Victor pour la cuisine sur des flammes nues a inspiré Lorenzo, et il est tombé amoureux de la cuisine sur des grillades traditionnelles. "Travailler avec Victor Arguinzoniz était un travail de rêve", nous dit-il. "Il y avait tellement d'énergie dans la cuisine, tellement de passion avec le feu."


ACHIEVEMENTS


2011
-    Opened restaurant “El Coq” at the age 24 – Marano Vicentino – Vicenza - Italy

-    International Career award at “Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia” – Alicante - Spain

-    Best new restaurant of the year for the Italian Congress "Identità Golose" – Milan - Italy

2012
-    San Pellegrino competition: "Best Young Chef of the World 2012" 3rd place as the representative of Italy

-    Guest Chef at Omnivore Paris - France

-    Guest Chef at Omnivore Moscow - Russia

-    Guest Chef at the Italian congress Identità Golose – Milan - Italy







2013
-    Accolade "Performance of the Year" L'Espresso Guide

-    First Michelin Star – youngest Chef to receive a star in Italy

-    Only Italian guest Chef at "Madrid Fusion" - Four hands dinner with Paco Roncero at The Casinò – Madrid - Spain

-    Guest Chef at the Italian congress "Identità Golose" – Milan - Italy

-    Guest Chef at Omnivore – Marseille - France

-    Accolade “Tomorrow's Top Chef" Touring Club guide

-    Awarded "World Wide Chef" of the year LSD magazine


2014
-    Performed to the "World Gourmet Summit" Singapore – Four hands dinner with Chef Ryan Clift at “Tippling Club”

-    Invited to the International Congress " Gastronomika " San Sebastian (Spain)

-    Guest Chef on the TV programm “Junior Masterchef”






-    Invited to the International Congress “Identità Golose" - New York - USA

-    Invited to “Kaybolan Lezzetler Festivali” - Alacati – Turkey



2015
-    Guest Chef at the Italian congress "Identità Golose" – Milan – Italy

-    Testimonial Veneto Region for “Milano Expo 2015”

-    Guest Chef at “Fontegro Chef Congress” 2015 in Ukraine

-    Guest Chef at “Sani Gourmet Festival” 2015 in Greece with international Chef

-    Guest Chef at “Melbourne Food & Wine Festival”

2016
-    Guest Chef at Horeca Quwait 2016

-    Guest Chef at Horeca Lebanon 2016

-    Opened the new EL COQ restaurant in Vicenza and been awared with one Michelin star






2017
-     “Best Chef Under 35” by “Food Community” Awards in Milan (Italy)


2018
-    Guest Chef at Care’s (Alta Badia) in Italy

-    Award “Best Contemporary Italian Restaurant”, “best Contemporarty Italian Restaurant in Veneto” and “Best Contemporary Italian dish” by Love Italian Life in Dublin

-    Talking guest at TedX Rovigo (Italy)


2019
-    Guest Chef at Care’s (Alta Badia) in Italy

-    Attended at “Venice Film Festival” presenting a food documentary called “A Fish Out of Water”, a story about stockfish in Lofoten Island