Paolo Masieri

Western Liguria is the organizing line in Paolo Masieri’s work at Paolo e Barbara in Sanremo, Italy. The cuisine stays close to place and season, with detail used as a tool rather than an effect. What reads on the plate is not embellishment for its own sake, but a controlled focus on the character of the ingredients and the region that supplies them.

For Masieri, the point of departure is the quality of the product, especially the products of Western Liguria, and the cooking is built around what those ingredients can already do. Bread follows the same discipline. He says, “I strictly use a 10-years old natural yeast and the flours of ancient grains selected by Janas, a small producer in the Umbria region, in the heart of Italy, that are stone milled and absolutely organic.” The method is plain in its priorities: natural yeast, selected grain, stone milling, and a clear commitment to provenance.

Among Paolo’s signature dishes are Cappelletti with San Remo crayfish, glazed rock octopus with garden beans, pansoti with squid ink and artichokes, Ponente fish soup, and Sanremo prawns flambéed with Islay Whisky. The list shows a kitchen working across sea and shore, with western Ligurian ingredients used as the structural base of each dish. The combinations are direct, but they are assembled with enough control to keep each main ingredient legible.

Paolo's honors include Michelin star.