The Vicenza-born chef attended hotel management school. It was here that he learned the basics of Italian nouvelle cuisine in a kitchen that would be the first outside France to win three Michelin stars. He went on to work with Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, and Alain Senderins at the Lucas Carlton in Paris, and was able to bring the knowledge and discipline he acquired back to Italy in 1991. He took the helm at L’Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, which won two Michelin stars under his guidance. Almost inevitably, Marchesi soon came calling after his protégé, and Cracco agreed to team up once again with his mentor at L’Albereta in Erbusco. But it wasn’t long before Cracco’s spirit of adventure got the better of him and he decided to go solo. He opened Le Clivie in Piedmont, which earned one Michelin star, but the allure of his old stomping ground of Milan proved too strong to resist. He agreed a deal with the owners of the ‘temple of Italian gastronomy’ Peck to open a restaurant called Peck-Cracco, which was awarded two Michelin stars. Soon the restaurant became known simply as ‘Cracco’, and it became his culinary home for 17 years before relocating to new premises at the famous Galleria Vittorio in Milan. From 2007 to 2010 it was among the 50 best restaurants in the world (San Pellegrino-The World’s 50 Best Restaurants). Cracco’s food made him famous, but his appearances on Italian TV have made him a star. On shows such as MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen he has sealed his place in the Italian national consciousness. He has also written a series of cookbooks, including Cracco: Sapori in Movimento (Cracco: Flavours in Motion), and A Qualcuno Piace Cracco (Some Like Cracco), which delves into the archives of Italian regional cooking.