Marco Sacco • 1 Michelin Star

They’ve dubbed him the “freshwater chef” because he was born on the shores of a lake, and it was on the shores of a lake that he became one of Italy’s most prominent chefs. Marco Sacco, born in 1965, followed in his parents’ footsteps: both his father and mother were restaurateurs, and he essentially grew up in a kitchen.

As a boy, he played numerous sports (including, thanks to the lake, competitive windsurfing at the national team level), but at a certain point he decided to carry on the family tradition. In 2004, his restaurant Il Piccolo Lago earned its first Michelin star.

His latest ventures include founding the Gente di Lago e di Fiume Association, which aims to create a network with entrepreneurs, fishermen, and institutions to promote and highlight its key ingredient: freshwater fish, and the management of Piano35 in Turin, Italy’s highest restaurant, located atop the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper designed by Renzo Piano.

In November 2020, it earned a Michelin star—one of the most significant achievements in the restaurant world—joining the Michelin Hall of Fame just over a year after Chef Sacco took over management. He is married to Raffaella, whom he considers the true soul of Piccolo Lago.