Antonio Guida • 2 Michelin Stars

Born in Salento, Puglia, in 1972, after completing his studies at hotel management school, he began working as a kitchen commis in 1998, gaining valuable experience in Italy, France, and Asia. For the sake of brevity, we will mention here only Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, and Don Alfonso in Sant’Agata sui due Golfi (Salerno). He further honed his talent for two years while working as sous-chef at La Terrazza at the Hotel Eden in Rome.

In 2004, his big break came: he was appointed executive chef at Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole on Monte Argentario, quickly earning a Michelin star, which became two in 2010. His reputation grew even further in 2011, when the restaurant earned three forks in the Gambero Rosso guide. This is because Guida’s cuisine perfectly showcases all the fundamentals and puts them at the service of dishes of rare balance. Dishes with distinct, clear flavors that are never pretentious.

A craft he has been bringing to life since the summer of 2015 through the ambitious Seta restaurant project, located within the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Milan. The Michelin star came right away, on December 10 of that same year. The following year, he earned his second. Awards are pouring in from all directions: he was named Chef of the Year at the Identità Milano 2016 conference, and that same year, Seta received the award for Best Wine and Spirits List from the Identità Golose Guide. And his rise shows no signs of stopping.

His first Michelin star was awarded in the 2015 edition, followed by a second in the 2016 edition.