Other
Chicco Cerea
Chef at Da Vittorio
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Three MICHELIN Stars for Da Vittorio in 2010 remain the principal public marker for the Brusaporto kitchen where Chicco Cerea works as chef. The craft behind that recognition is a Lombard restaurant practice built around rigorous sourcing, controlled technique, and hospitality that reads through consistency rather than display. Born in Bergamo and formed inside a family kitchen, Cerea is part of a house whose reputation depends on raw materials as the first point of luxury, with technique kept in service of pleasure and certain dishes maintained as returning reference points. “For us, the philosophy of using the finest materia prima was always central.” Chicco has said.
Coming Up
Early professional formation across major kitchens can widen a cook’s register without diluting the house language. Chicco Cerea sharpened his craft alongside Jacques Cagna at Jacques Cagna in Paris, France, Roger Vergé at Roger Vergé in France, Heinz Winkler at Heinz Winkler in Munich, Germany, Ferran Adrià at Ferran Adrià in Costa Brava, Spain, Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Jean-Georges Vongerichten in New York, United States, and Sirio Maccioni at Sirio Maccioni in New York, United States. Read as training exposure, that sequence places classic French discipline, Mediterranean sensitivity, German precision, Spanish imagination, and New York polish in contact with an Italian family restaurant grammar. The useful result is proportion: knowing when to build, when to reduce, and when the product needs protection more than intervention. The current house structure extends that grammar across more than one address. As Executive Chef of the Brusaporto flagship, culinary leader of Da Vittorio St. Moritz (since 2012), and culinary leader of the Shanghai outpost (since 2019), Cerea is tied to a standard of generosity without weight, technique without chill, and luxury measured by how precisely the guest is served. The craft problem is continuity: keeping a recognizable style intact while each room, market, and service context places different pressure on execution.
The Work Today
The cooking at the restaurant is described as creative, technically precise, ingredient-driven, and respectful of Lombard tradition. Its style integrates tradition with modern techniques while emphasizing absolute-quality raw materials from the best production areas. In trade terms, this is clarity work: sauce calibration, finish, temperature, texture, and pacing handled so the plate appears direct rather than labored. House signatures carry weight when they can be repeated at a high level without becoming routine. The paccheri al pomodoro and the scampi preparation are both described as unmissable and timeless, and their standing is practical rather than decorative. The pasta depends on the alignment of noodle, tomato, texture, and temperature without distraction. The scampi depends on seafood quality and restraint in the frame around it. In both dishes, the luxury is exactness, not excess. Seasonal discipline is part of the kitchen’s ingredient logic. “Seasonality in cooking is very important.” The statement fits the restaurant’s emphasis on produce and seafood as materials that change across the year, not fixed inputs to be forced into a static repertoire. Tradition here is maintained through sourcing, timing, and adjustment: the craft of knowing when the calendar should alter the plate. A further expression of the kitchen’s craft appears at DaV Grill Cantalupa: risotto with blue lobster and pumpkin, prepared with Carnaroli rice, blue lobster, Josper-roasted lightly smoked pumpkin cream, kale, marinated pumpkin, butter, and a crustacean-citrus sauce.
Recognition
Three MICHELIN Stars for Da Vittorio (2010) and the Platinum King of Catering award (2010) place Chicco Cerea’s work in a year of formal recognition. The awards point back to the durable mechanics of the kitchen: disciplined repetition, strong raw materials, stable signatures, and service-minded precision that can hold under public scrutiny.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Chicco
What is Chicco Cerea's current role?
Chicco Cerea is chef at Da Vittorio.
Where did Chicco Cerea work before?
Earlier in their career, Chicco Cerea worked at Jacques Cagna, Roger Vergé, and Heinz Winkler.
What recognition has Chicco Cerea received?
Three MICHELIN Stars for Da Vittorio (2010).
