Massimiliano Prete

Coming Up

Technical formation at Università della Pizza di Molino Quaglia gave Massimiliano Prete a base in structure, process and dough discipline. The craft then moved through work as pizzaiolo in Apulia, Italy, pizzaiolo in Asti, Italy, and pizzaiolo and pastry chef in Saluzzo, Italy. High-hydration “evolutionary pizza” became a defined working field at Teatro del Gusto in Saluzzo, Italy, where Prete was operator / creator from 2011. The term points to a dough practice that requires control without stiffness: hydration, handling, extensibility and bake all have to be read closely. The work continued at Gusto Divino in Saluzzo, Italy, where he became founder / operator; creator of high-hydration “evolutionary pizza” from 2014, placing pizza in direct conversation with pastry and leavened-goods technique. The Alba period added another operating frame. At Gusto Madre in Alba, Italy, Prete was founder / operator from 2016, carrying forward a style based on experimentation while staying inside the foundations of Italian pizza. The current practice is divided between service, research and instruction. Massimiliano Prete is pizzaiolo-pastry chef of Sestogusto since 2018, founder of MP Lab – Massimiliano Prete Lab, and masterclass instructor of Cast Alimenti, Alma and Sigep Academy. Across those roles, dough remains the working material: mixed, fermented, tested, taught and served.

Where They Are Now

At Sestogusto in Turin, Italy, the chef/pizzaiolo role held by Prete from 2018 to the present is expressed through crust, fermentation and toppings rather than explanation. The pizzas carry long-fermentation thinking and Piedmontese references while keeping the pleasure of pizza intact. A second Turin location of Sestogusto was opened for 2022–2024, extending the work within the city for that period. The working philosophy is stated as three words: Patience, Precision, Poetry. Patience belongs to yeast activity and waiting. Precision comes from pastry practice: measurement, temperature, texture and the point where structure gives way to softness. Poetry is the service result when the technique no longer announces itself. The named pizzas show the range of the format. Margherita Extravergine is cited among his Piedmontese-flavoured toppings; Vitello Tonnato Pizza is another topping with a Piedmontese flavour; and Pizza Poker is a four-slice tasting pizza. Together they show three readings of the same craft: a familiar pizza refined, a regional reference translated onto dough, and a tasting structure designed for comparison. The research side is housed at MP Lab – Massimiliano Prete Lab in Saluzzo, Italy, where Prete’s specialty is fermentation, evolutionary blending flours and waste reduction. Sestogusto is the public counterpoint; MP Lab – Massimiliano Prete Lab is the place for quieter testing and method. His own summary is direct: “I bring food to life with my yeasts.”

In Their Words “I combine the great tradition of pizza with the precision of pastry, the evolution of haute cuisine and constant research on leavened goods.” “I am always reinventing new and different ways of creating doughs so that they are more digestible, lighter, and above all, taste better.”

Honors

Massimiliano Prete has received Gambero Rosso Pizzerie d’Italia — Tre Spicchi for Sestogusto. The honors attached to this work include Tre Spicchi for Sestogusto (2025), 10th in Italy for Sestogusto (2025), Migliore Carta dei Dessert – Cremoso Award for Sestogusto (2024), and Best Dessert Menu (2024). Read together, they mark a practice that treats pizza, dessert, fermentation, hospitality and research as connected parts of the same craft system.