Domenico Francone

The Climb

Hotel School gave Domenico Francone the baseline for a career built on repetition, timing, and control. From there, the work moved into the pressures of service, where pastry and classic cuisine both depend on precision and clean execution. His time as chef at Laurentius in Weikersheim, Germany, placed those skills in a setting that would have demanded discipline and consistency. The two specialties attached to his name — pastry and classic cuisine — point to a practice built around finish, structure, and inherited form. Today, Domenico Francone is Executive Chef of Castello Banfi / Sala dei Grappoli. That role carries the weight of experience: holding standards, directing service, and keeping a kitchen identity legible across a major address in his career.

Today

In 2020, Francone became Executive Chef at La Sala dei Grappoli in Montalcino, Italy. He also holds the Executive Chef role at Castello Banfi in Tuscany, Italy. Those posts define his current scope: a kitchen practice centered on precision, consistency, and a clearly stated point of view. Pastry and classic cuisine remain the key descriptors of his work.

Signature

Orecchiette alle cime di rapa appears among Domenico Francone's signature dishes. It fits a profile organized around classic instincts, where composition, balance, and familiarity carry the weight of the dish.

In Their Words “The arrival of the Michelin Star is a great achievement that rewards our immense work and our enormous passion.” The first quote frames recognition as shared labor and sustained effort.

Recognition

Best Pastry Chef at the Chef Awards (2017) remains the clearest public recognition attached to Domenico Francone. It marks the pastry side of his work as the part that drew broader notice and placed him on firmer public record.