Piergiorgio Nanni

Chef Piergiorgio was born and raised in Rome, Italy to a family of restaurateurs. The paternal side of Piergiorgio’s family is from Abruzzi, a region known for producing some of the top chefs in Italy. In the early 1960’s Piergiorgio’s uncle opened a trattoria in Rome, where he served classic Roman and Abruzzi cuisine. At the same time, another of Piergiorgio’s uncles, Luigi Nanni, opened an upscale restaurant in Santa Margherita Ligure in a region also known as the Italian Riviera. Luigi moved to New York in the mid-sixties with the intention of introducing and serving Italian food as it was served in Italy. Once in NewYork City, Luigi opened two restaurants, Nanni’s and the more upscale Nanni Il Valletto. It was at Il Valletto, which the New York Times noted as being “one of the more splendiferous Italian restaurants in town,” where Piergiorgio began his culinary apprenticeship. After working as an apprentice for three years, Piergiorgio moved to Paris to attend the Cordon Bleu, where he graduated with honors in classical French cuisine and pastry. Upon graduation, Piergiorgio worked as a sous chef at several upscale restaurants throughout France, Germany and Italy, where he developed both his style and technique. Piergiorgio then returned to the United States as executive chef of Nanni Il Valletto. Around this time, the F.I.C. Federazione Italiana Cuochi (Italian Culinary Federation) awarded Piergiorgio the “Chef Della Migliore Tradizione Regionale Italiana in America.” This is an award given to exceptional chefs in acknowledgment of their work to preserve the Italian culinary tradition in America. Piergiorgio remained at Il Valletto, until the time of his uncle’s death in 1998. Piergiorgio then made the decision to move into a more contemporary arena and worked as Chef de Cuisine at the Armani Café, an eclectic New York City bar/restaurant featuring Italian nouvelle cuisine. It was at Armani where he learned the business of catering. Since that time, Piergiorgio has worked extensively throughout the tri-state area as both an executive chef and consultant and has focused his work experience on Contemporary American fusion cuisine. Today chef Nanni’s business is a labor of love. His style is one of traditional refinement and elegance with a contemporary flare. As a personal chef and instructor, he is able not only to indulge his passion for the art of cooking, but also to share his knowledge with others.

Chef's Recipes :

Garganelli with Wild Boar Sausage in Creamy Truffle and Grappa Sauce
Pancetta-Wrapped Scallops served over Saffron Risotto

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