Other
Alessandro Cozzolino
Chef
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Alessandro Cozzolino leads Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence as Executive Chef, with a kitchen built around mindful fine dining and measured execution. Born and raised in Caserta, 32 kilometres north of Naples, he points to the domestic kitchen as his first classroom: “My earliest cooking influences came from home, watching and learning from my mother and grandmother.” That grounding shows up in the way Alessandro Cozzolino works now: personal, disciplined, and oriented toward taste with intent.
The Path
At Grissini, Grand Hyatt in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Alessandro Cozzolino served as Head Chef from 2014–2019, a period that shaped the hotel restaurant’s polished culinary identity. The role required steady command and clear direction, and those years added technique and composure to his working language as much as any single dish from the pass. In 2019, Alessandro Cozzolino moved into his current role as Executive Chef of Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel. That shift placed him at the centre of the hotel’s culinary rhythm, where he has continued to lead with the same measured focus. The move from Hong Kong to Florence reads as progression rather than reset, toward a style that is more intimate, more considered, and more closely tied to his own voice.
The Work Today
At Villa San Michele in Florence, the kitchen runs on a tempo that matches Alessandro Cozzolino’s current approach to mindful fine dining. The phrase points to more than polish: it describes a way of cooking that asks for attention, restraint, and care in how each plate is built. Cozzolino puts that position plainly: “I don't like to define everything with the word \"influenced\", I believe that the right word is to define my cuisine in a more personal way than before.” The work is guided less by borrowed labels than by a more individual point of view.
Signature
Alessandro Cozzolino is a chef focused on mindful fine dining.
In Their Words “I don't like to define everything with the word "influenced", I believe that the right word is to define my cuisine in a more personal way than before.” “Taste needs to be trained, so tasting cultures different from my own has certainly shaped and defined me as a chef but also as a person.”
Recognition
Alessandro Cozzolino has received Top Italian Restaurants Guide, Chef of the Year (2017).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Alessandro
What is Alessandro Cozzolino's current role?
As of 2026, Alessandro Cozzolino is Executive Chef.
Where did Alessandro Cozzolino work before?
Alessandro Cozzolino's earlier career included Grissini, Grand Hyatt.
What recognition has Alessandro Cozzolino received?
Chef of the Year (2017).
