Mauricio Zillo

The Climb

Mauricio Zillo trained at Le Cordon Bleu.

Today

The defining craft note from Zillo’s time at the Palermo venue is precision under immediacy: everything cooked à la minute, with local products carrying the menu. That way of working asks the kitchen to stay close to raw material, temperature, timing, and scent. His second quoted line gives the cooking a sensory register without loosening its discipline: "Two days a week, on the weekend, I use all the perfume I don’t use during the week!" The word perfume is apt for a cuisine built around ingredients rather than excess: aroma as structure, not ornament; Sicily approached through product, freshness, and the timing of the pan.

In Their Words “For the first time in 18 years of my career, I only use local products. And all cooking is done à la minute.” “Two days a week, on the weekend, I use all the perfume I don’t use during the week!”

Recognition

The first major recognition came in 2021, when the L’Espresso Guide awarded three hats to Gagini in Palermo for Zillo’s work there. That honor is the primary marker of his Sicily period and belongs to a kitchen defined by local sourcing, à la minute cooking, and a multicultural reading of Sicilian cuisine. In 2022, the Michelin Guide awarded a first star to the same Palermo venue. Framed together, the two honors trace a concentrated period: chef from 2020 to 2024, three L’Espresso hats in 2021, and a first Michelin star earned in 2022.