What were your favorite foods growing up?
Quattro Stagioni Pizza; banana ice cream.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
When I was 13.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
It began when I helped cook in a private villa near Rome for the Agnelli family when I was 13.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
An artist; a painter.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
My mother taught me a lot, and so did the chefs at Cecconi Restaurant in London.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Traditional Italian, with a twist.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at Scuderia?
My mother's cooking, my own experiments of pairing cuisines from different regions. Particularly at Scuderia, Venice, Umbria and Tuscany serve as the main inspirations for the menu.

What are your favorite culinary weapons/tools in the kitchen?
A very large chopping knife.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Spices.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Be on time and respect one another. And don't get drunk in the kitchen.

What qualities to you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Someone who is ambitious and geniuinely cares about the quality of the food.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
Eat anything you want, then go to the gym.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
I cooked for 1,500 people at Valentino's 50th Anniversary party. It took 3 days of preparation and the party was in a parking lot, so we had to use camping stoves and microwaves.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
I haven't had one yet!

What is your least favorite food?
Overly Americanized Italian food, for example, chicken parm and stromboli.

What is your beverage of choice?
Either vodka tonic, Guinness, or Chateau La Lagune '82.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Brunch, burgers and pizza.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
Home, restaurants that have interesting menus, burger joints, and pizza parlors.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Besides Italy, South America and East Asia.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Keep it simple and use fresh, local organic ingredients.

What do you eat when you are home?
Nutella straight from the jar, vegetables, meat, fish and spicy Mexican food.