Maurizio Crescenzo
Maurizio Crescenzo was born in Sarno, in southern Italy. He began his culinary career behind his mother's stove where he fell in love with cooking. At the age of fourteen, he started to test restaurant life by working in the town's trattorias. Finding he never wanted to leave the kitchen or the company of the restaurant's guests, he applied and was accepted to IPAS - Instituto Professionale Alberghiero di Stato in Napoli. After graduating with honors, he immediately started working as a chef's assistant in Capri, at the Hotel Quisisana. After this first wonderful experience, Maurizio decided to work all over Italy, to be in touch with all Italian cuisines, from North to South. At that time, he went to work in Rome at Ristorante Alberto Ciarla, to specialize in seafood. After two years in Rome, he went to work in Venice at the Hotel Bauer, as "chef di partita," preparing the hotel's main dishes. His next position came in Cortina D'Ampezzo at Hotel Fauner, as Sous-Chef. After five years in the north of Italy, Maurizio decided to return south, to Positano, to work at the Hotel Le Sirenuse, as Sous-Chef. Northern Italy did not forget Maurizio. Ristorante Il Gondoliere, on Lago di Garda, offered him his first position as Executive Chef. He created a menu that combined dishes from the North and South that was very successful. He was now ready to follow his dream and bring the true taste of Italian cuisine to America. At the age 26, he came to New York and began working at Borgo Antico as Executive Chef. After one year, another dream was realized, Maurizio opened his own trattoria. Grano Trattoria was born out of Maurizio's love of his town's trattorias. New Yorkers who return from vacationing in Italy often head straight to Grano to capture Maurizio's authentic Italian taste, dreaming that they are still on vacation.
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