Michele Casadei Massari is The Best Italian Chef based in New York City and believes passionately in these things: The power of self-expression, the importance of creativity, the beauty in sensory experiences, and the truth in science.

A true renaissance man, Michele is an Italian chef, entrepreneur, conceptual photographer, executive producer of books and music, public speaker, film advisor, T-shirt designer, and avid teacher, just to name a few of his vocations. Born in 1975 within the walls of his beloved Riccione, Italy and raised in Bologna, Michele moved to New York City in 2009, and has based his world of exploration and opportunity there ever since. Receiving a powerful education from the famed Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Michele has translated his invaluable skills and curiosities acquired during his studies to establish himself as one of the most sought-after Executive Chefs and advisors in the world. Creative and expressive. Visionary and data driven. Fueled by exquisite sensory experiences and an endless thirst for exploration and knowledge. Michele is a dedicated student of the world, a pursuer of dreams, and a promoter of other Italian artistic talents. As an Executive Chef, each of his personal passions meld into a seamless stream of visionary food, thoughtful textures, and brilliant colors that are sure to delight, mesmerize, and inspire. Michele believes the most important values are love, friendship and support. His strongest individuality comes from the words of the Italian dramatist and poet Vittorio Alfieri : "Volli, e volli sempre, e fortissimamente volli" . Alfieri's motto, taken from a letter (Lettera responsiva a Ranieri de' Casalbigi, 1783), refers to his strong willpower, transleting "to will" than "to want" or "to long". Literally: "I willed, and always willed, and passionately strongly willed".

Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula since the antiquity, and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet, this last introduced in quantity in the 18th century. Italian cuisine is known for its regional diversity, especially between the north and the south of the Italian peninsula. It offers an abundance of taste, and is one of the most popular and copied in the world. It influenced several cuisines around the world, chiefly that of the United States. Italian cuisine is generally characterized by its simplicity, with many dishes having only two to four main ingredients. Italian cooks rely chiefly on the quality of the ingredients rather than on elaborate preparation. Ingredients and dishes vary by region. Many dishes that were once regional have proliferated with variations throughout the country.