Gualtiero Marchesi
Gualtiero Marchesi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 March 1930 Milan, Italy |
| Died | 26 December 2017 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Chef |
| Known for | Pioneer of Italian nouvelle cuisine; first Italian chef awarded three Michelin stars |
Gualtiero Marchesi (19 March 1930 – 26 December 2017) was a renowned Italian chef, often credited as the pioneer of Italian nouvelle cuisine.
Biography
Marchesi was born in Milan, where his parents ran the hotel and restaurant "L'Albergo del Mercato," providing him with his initial culinary exposure. Guided by family members Luigi Ghisoni and Domenico Bergamaschi, he mastered traditional recipes and learned to elevate basic ingredients.
At the age of 17, he left formal education to join the Hotel Kulm in St. Moritz, subsequently attending a hospitality school in Lucerne before returning to the family establishment. There, he combined conventional lunch offerings with innovative dinner creations, establishing a reputation for cutting-edge cuisine.
His career included positions at esteemed French establishments such as "Ledoyen" in Paris, "Le Chapeau Rouge" in Dijon, and "Troisgros" in Roanne. Afterward, he took charge of a modest family hotel in Milan until 1977, when he inaugurated his first restaurant on Via Bonvesin de la Riva. Within two years, he secured two Michelin stars and ultimately became the first Italian chef awarded three stars.
In 1993, Marchesi moved to the Franciacorta area to open Ristorante di Erbusco at the Albereta Hotel, broadening his approach to international cuisine. His Milan establishment, Gualtiero Marchesi di San Pietro all'Orto, launched in 1998 as both a restaurant and culinary school.
Expanding his presence abroad, he established a restaurant in Paris in 2001 and assumed control of Rome's historic Hostaria dell’Orso the same year. In 2011, Marchesi made history as the first celebrity chef to collaborate with McDonald's, creating two hamburgers and a dessert for their menu.
He featured in the 2014 documentary 29200 Puthod, l'altra verità della realtà and co-hosted the film Marchesi: The Great Italian, which premiered at Cannes in 2017. That year, he was honored with the America Award from the Italy–USA Foundation.
Honours
- 1986 Ambrogino d'Oro
- 1989 Personnalité de l’année for gastronomy
- 1990 Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
- 1991 Commendatore della Repubblica
- 1999 Longobardo d'Oro
He was also awarded the Grand Prix 'Memoire et Gratitude' by the International Academy of Gastronomy.
As a founding member of Euro-Toques—an organization representing approximately 3,000 top chefs globally—Marchesi served as its international president from 2000 until 2002.
During his tenure as Rector of ALMA University, he pioneered the first global master's program focused on Italian culinary arts, aiming to raise standards within Italy’s hospitality and restaurant sectors.
In June 2008, Marchesi publicly criticized Michelin’s rating methodology by symbolically "returning" his stars, denouncing its voting procedures and calling for qualitative evaluations instead of numerical scores. As a result, his restaurant was excluded from the 2009 Michelin guide. He declared:
- 2012 Laurea Honoris Causa in Gastronomy Science from the University of Parma