i. Biography
Accursio Craparo is Executive Chef at Radici – L’Osteria di Accursio in Modica, Italy, where Sicilian traditional cuisine is treated as season, memory and craft rather than decoration. Before this current role, he earned a Michelin star at La Gazza Ladra in Modica, an achievement that gives clear weight to a career built in the same city.
The Honours
The Michelin Guide awarded a star to La Gazza Ladra while Craparo was chef there, placing that chapter among the defining honours of his career. The recognition matters most when read beside the work that followed: not a departure from Sicily, but a deeper return to its ingredients, histories and practical intelligence. At Radici, the ambition is precise rather than ornamental. The cooking is Sicilian, seasonal and research-driven, with sustainability, reduced waste and ingredients placed at the center of dishes that traverse Sicily’s history. The osteria is conceived as a return to Sicilian gastronomic memory, where food becomes an artisanal interpretation of nature without waste.
The Craft
His cooking at Radici is described as authentic and concrete, shaped by immediate cooking, essential steps, express dishes, aromas and tastes tied to his memories. That language suits a kitchen where the point is not excess, but clarity: what the ingredient can carry, what the season allows, and what memory can make useful at the table. The specialty is Sicilian traditional cuisine, approached through a practical attention to nature and waste. At Accursio, also in Modica, the cooking has been described through local Sicilian dishes prepared with international flair, giving another view of how Craparo works between rootedness and movement. Two dishes make that range tangible. Carciofo, an artichoke dish at Accursio, is described as a brilliant dish based on contrasts. Mare & terra is described as a tourbillon of flavours, combining lobster, tuna, caviar, oyster and seaweeds with aubergine, tomato, onion and beetroot.
The Career
Craparo was chef at La Gazza Ladra in Modica, where he earned the Michelin star that remains his clearest formal recognition. The city then became the setting for the next major chapters of his work. In 2014, he opened Accursio with Oriana Aprile in Modica. That restaurant gave shape to a cuisine of local Sicilian dishes prepared with international flair, and it is where Carciofo and Mare & terra appear among the signature works associated with his cooking. In 2019, Craparo and Oriana Aprile opened Radici L’Osteria di Accursio in Modica. Today, as Executive Chef there, he works from Sicilian gastronomic memory toward dishes that are seasonal, sustainable and centered on the ingredient, with research serving the plate rather than distracting from it.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Accursio
What is Accursio Craparo's most notable recognition?
Accursio Craparo earned a Michelin star at La Gazza Ladra in Modica, Italy.
What is Accursio Craparo known for?
He is known for Sicilian traditional cuisine, including Radici’s seasonal, research-driven cooking and Accursio dishes such as Carciofo and Mare & terra.
What is Accursio Craparo's current role?
Accursio Craparo is Executive Chef at Radici – L’Osteria di Accursio in Modica, Italy.
