Chef
Giovanni Santini
Chef, Dal Pescatore
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Runate, Italy
i. Biography
Italian family cooking at Dal Pescatore is carried through refinement, continuity, and the discipline of generosity at the table in Mantova.
The Path
The chef role at Dal Pescatore is held today by Giovanni Santini.
The Practice Today
Dal Pescatore’s work is organized around dishes, locality, and the transfer of technique inside the family kitchen. In that setting, Giovanni Santini works within a restaurant identity built less on novelty than on continuity and control. Refined, generous cuisine is the useful description for the cooking prepared at the restaurant by Giovanni Santini and Nadia Santini. Refined means polish, restraint, and accuracy; generous means welcome, abundance, and a meal scaled to hospitality. The craft sits in keeping those qualities together without letting precision turn cold. Tortelli di zucca remain one of the clearest measures of the house style. Served with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, the dish relies on balance rather than excess: sweetness, richness, salt, and the authority of a recipe shaped through three generations.
Signature
Signature dishes include Tortelli di zucca.
Accolades
Giovanni's honors include Three Michelin stars held by Dal Pescatore since 1996 (1996) and Dal Pescatore voted 48th best in the world (2009).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Giovanni
Who is Giovanni Santini?
Giovanni Santini is chef at Dal Pescatore.
What recognition has Giovanni Santini received?
Three Michelin stars held by Dal Pescatore since 1996 (1996).
What is Giovanni Santini known for?
Italian Contemporary and Classic Cuisine.
