Having run his own restaurant for the last twenty-three years, Gennaro Esposito has had a remarkable career rooted in his hometown of Vico Equense. Working with Michelin-starred greats and earning two stars for himself, these achievements have only strengthened his passion and resolve to achieve new culinary heights.

Gennaro Esposito is a commanding figure in Italian cooking, both in terms of his physical presence in the kitchen and popularity throughout the country. Born in the coastal town of Vico Equense in Naples in 1970, he grew up with a love and respect for the fresh produce grown on his family’s farm, as well as the processes of natural cultivation, the culture and the history of the region. Clearly coming from a family of food-lovers, he was inspired by his mother’s cooking to take a job in his uncle’s pastry shop when he was only nine years old. He recalls fond memories of working with the food, making coffee and dishing up ice creams, as well as serving the customers – learning the importance of diversity, respect and hospitality required in the catering industry. Here, he also started to appreciate the techniques and nuances of combining flavours: ‘In the pastry shop, when I realised that by combining two flavours, I’d created a sublime third, the alchemy and skill hooked me forever.’

From the age of fourteen, Gennaro juggled work in local pizzerias and restaurants with his studies at a hotel and hospitality school. ‘At that age I knew I was meant to cook, but I did not know how or where,’ he says. He describes this time in his life as a ‘sacred fire’ – a time where he spent hours repeating daily tasks and routines in the kitchens, but was fortunate with his experiences and the people he met, resulting in a fantastic springboard for his ongoing success in the industry.

Two of the people he credits with this success are chefs Gianfranco Vissani and Alain Ducasse. Working with Gianfranco was his first experience of a Michelin-starred kitchen, learning the ropes in a professional environment and getting to grips with the rhythm of a high calibre restaurant. Gianfranco was a huge influence on his mental preparation for becoming a chef, although this also stretched to creative influence as well. ‘It’s very important for a mentor to transmit this type of self-discipline,' says Gennaro. 'He taught me that creativity combined with familiarity and skilfulness knows no limits in the kitchen.’ This belief in limitless creativity contributed to Gennaro’s life-long goal of exciting his diners with new and unique experiences.

Legendary French chef Alain Ducasse happened to hear of Gennaro while holidaying near his home town of Vico Equense in 1989. This fortunate meeting ended with Gennaro taking positions at Ducasse’s Louis XV restaurant in Monte Carlo and the Plaza Athenee in Paris, offering him the chance to hone his skills in these illustrious French establishments.