Paolo Lavezzini is the new executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel Florence

After 10 years in Brazil and many important experiences, the chef of Emilian origin arrives at the restaurant Il Palagio

From Sao Paulo in Brazil to Florence, always with the Four Seasons Hotel brand. He is Paolo Lavezzini, chef of Emilian origins, born in 1978, who from this August will replace Vito Mollica, present at the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze since its opening, at the helm of the kitchen of the famous Florentine Urban Resort and the starred restaurant Il Palagio, which from Friday, October 8 reopens to the public, from Tuesday to Saturday for dinner (reservation required).

After 10 years in Brazil - where as Executive Chef for the Hotel Fasano in Rio de Janeiro he led his restaurant to be recognized as the best Italian restaurant in Brazil, and then joined the opening team of the Four Seasons Hotel São Paulo, where he led for two years the restaurant Neto, awarded with three forks on the Gambero Rosso Internacional of 2019 - he returns to Italy and Florence, where he already worked for seven years in the Enoteca Pinchiorri under the aegis of Annie Féolde.

In this period he also met chef Vito Mollica "whom I consider a great chef and a great person. Taking his place is a great honor for me - comments Paolo Lavezzini - My cooking philosophy is based on the respect of ingredients and on the search for the best small producers. At the Four Seasons in São Paulo we were the first to experiment with Italian dishes, but made with ingredients produced in Brazil: what we couldn't find, such as cold cuts or cheeses, we produced at home. In addition, I consider it my responsibility as Chef to introduce sustainability both in the kitchen and in the dining room. I will start from my Italian origins while respecting the Tuscan culinary tradition, also adding some Brazilian ingredients such as spices or chillies in some of the dishes".