Born and raised in the sunny coastal city of Naples, Chef de Cuisine Valerio Mandile first set foot into a commercial kitchen at the age of 13, with passion for cooking stemming from his mother and grandmother’s home cooking. His love for gastronomy has brought him to various high-end restaurants in Italy, Germany and Canada including two Michelin-starred restaurant Don Alfonso 1890 in Naples, and now at Grissini in Hong Kong since June 2021, as he strives to bring authentic and approachable Neapolitan culture to the rest of the world.

Taking the helm at the Grissini kitchen, Chef Valerio has incorporated into the menu some of the best ingredients from Campania and Southern Italy: from creamy burrata from Andria and giant Amalfi lemons, to piennolo tomatoes and colatura di alici – an Italian fish sauce unique to the region, as he celebrates his hometown and its glorious culinary traditions. Using the best produce, Chef Valerio takes a fresh and creative approach to traditional Italian cuisine and believes in the simplicity of premium ingredients, perfectly prepared.