Tradition and simplicity of flavours, Chef Cannavacciuolo creates Dishes that are simply a reflection of his life!

We are in love with his innovative Mediterranean cuisine made by the combination between past and present. Antonino Cannavacciuolo gained experience and improved his skills in France, in the most famous and awarded kitchens such as “Auberge Dell’Ile” in Illerausen and the “Buerehiesel” in Strasbourg, but also in Italy, in the Grand Hotel Quisisana, when the kitchen was ruled by Gualtiero Marchesi. In 1999 he took over the management of Villa Crespi Hotel & Restaurant, on Lake Orta with his wife Cinzia Primatesta. Since 2012 Villa Crespi has become membre of Relais et Chateaux chain and Antonino Cannavacciuolo has become Grand Chef Relais et Chateaux. Italian Event Planners is so proud to have Villa Crespi among our proposals:

http://www.italianeventplanners.com/lake-orta/venues/item/164-villa-crespi.html 

If you choose Villa Crespi as the location for your wedding reception, you could claim to have got "the best"...... marvelous dishes in the house for you, created by a highly decorated chef! How prestigious would that be......!!!

In 2003 Antonino won the 1st Michelin stars and in the 2006 he gained the second one.

Beautiful what he says during an interview, in which he tells us how he became chef, and what inspired him...

“I always knew that I would be a chef. Like my father before me. He had trained entire brigades of chefs in Sorrento and the surrounding area. However, I must say that it was my grandmother who was really responsible for this conviction, with her ‘ragù’ and pasta at our family Sunday lunches. Its irresistible aroma permeated the entire house from the crack of dawn. That showed me the importance of finding the best possible raw materials, of self-sacrifice, of determination and total commitment to the profession. These were the foundations on which I built my cuisine. My travels and various experiences did the rest: in France, with Marc Haeberlin at L’Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern in particular, and especially in the South and North of Italy, from the School in Vico Equense to the restaurant of Grand Hotel Quisisana de Capri run at the time by Gualtiero Marchesi, not forgetting, of course, Lake Orta. There is where I met my wife, Cinzia, before I went on, in 1999, to take over Villa Crespi, which has since allowed us to do what we can to please you and thereby ourselves.”

Antonino is also the protagonist of “Cucine da incubo Italia” produced by Fox International Channels Italy, based on the English format “Kitchen Nightmares” hosted by Chef Gordon Ramsay

Best piece of advice for amateur chefs?

"Never forget to add a dash of passion to each of your recipes and remembered to try, try and try again. That's what it takes to succeed"