Chef
Anthony Genovese
Chef, Il Pagliaccio
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Rome, Italy
Known for
- Two Michelin-starred Il Pagliaccio in Rome
- Fusion of French technique, Italian roots, and Asian influences
- Turnè takeaway concept launched in 2020
i. Biography
Technique built from formal hotel-school discipline gives this cooking its first frame: Anthony Genovese trained at École Hôtelière de Nice (1985), then worked through Florence and Ravello before opening Il Pagliaccio in Rome in 2003. The line is not presented as decoration. It marks a formation in which French schooling, Italian kitchens, and later cross-cultural references became usable structure rather than biography.
The Trajectory
Formal training at École Hôtelière de Nice (1985) supplied Anthony Genovese with the discipline and precision that remain central to the way his work is described. The credential matters as craft infrastructure: an early system for timing, control, and professional method before the cooking took on a more personal range. Formation through Florence and Ravello added place to that structure without turning geography into nostalgia. In Genovese’s case, movement across these kitchens reads as accumulation: technique, restraint, and a sharper sense of how a dish can carry reference without becoming imitation.
The Current Work
Creative and innovative cuisine at Il Pagliaccio in Rome is built around controlled contact between traditions. As Head Chef and Owner, Anthony Genovese works with Italian and Asian influences, but the useful point for the trade is how those influences are handled: not as display, but as composition, through balance, texture, aroma, and memory. Colazione sul mare shows that method in a named plate: scallop with coffee-soaked brioche, hazelnut cream, chocolate, and salsify, inspired by seaside breakfasts in southern Italy. The construction depends on placement rather than volume: marine sweetness, coffee bitterness, brioche warmth, hazelnut and chocolate depth, and the earthy line of salsify held in one frame. The discipline behind that approach is stated plainly in Genovese’s own warning: "A common mistake, in my opinion, is when chefs break away from their own unique culinary style in order to follow current trends and the culinary fashions of the moment." For a working kitchen, the point is practical. Influence can enter the work; fashion should not write the menu.
Signature
Signature dishes include Scallops with salsify and hazelnuts. The combination gives Anthony Genovese a compact register to work in: scallop for delicacy, salsify for grounding, hazelnut for roundness. The interest is contrast under control, not excess.
Recognition
Anthony Genovese has received one star for Il Pagliaccio (2006). Recognition is tied to the Rome restaurant Anthony Genovese opened in 2003 and to the vocabulary developed there. The honor line sits inside the same craft arc: training, formation through Florence and Ravello, and a restaurant where Italian and Asian influences are worked into a consistent language. In 2018, Anthony Genovese served as S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 mentor for Italy. Within a career shaped by formal education and kitchen formation, the mentoring role extends the same trade logic: technique and judgment passed forward without asking younger cooks to trade their own style for the fashion of the moment.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Anthony
What does Anthony Genovese currently do?
Anthony Genovese is Head Chef and owner of Il Pagliaccio.
Where did Anthony Genovese train or study?
Anthony Genovese trained at École Hôtelière de Nice.
What is Anthony Genovese known for?
High-quality Asian cuisine for takeaway through Turnè.
