i. Biography
In Barcelona, Rafa Panatieri, chef of Sartoria Panatieri, has built a pizza practice around grain, fire, and time. The work starts well before the oven: locally sourced organic stone-milled flour, a 72-hour fermentation, and fresh organic seasonal ingredients are treated as the structure of the pizza, not its garnish. The result is wood-fired and exacting, with product quality and sustainability carried through to the edge of the dough.
The Path
The line from restaurant kitchen to a more personal project runs through Roca Moo in Barcelona, Spain, where Rafa Panatieri served as former head chef. That role placed him inside one of the city’s most recognizable culinary settings before he moved toward a narrower, more defined expression of pizza. From 2018, he became chef at Sartoria Panatieri in Barcelona, Spain, and the restaurant’s identity sharpened around that approach. Since 2018, he has also been co-founder of Sartoria Panatieri, part of the team shaping its direction from the start.
The Work Today
At Sartoria Panatieri in Barcelona, Spain, the work is built from a chain of decisions that have to hold together: sourcing, milling, fermentation, fire, and the choice to keep seasonal ingredients at the center. Panatieri’s name is closely attached to that method, not because it relies on excess, but because it is disciplined at each stage. The wood-fired oven is the final tool in a process that begins with the grain and ends with balance. Margarita is one of the signatures tied to that approach. Its red sauce is described as slow-cooked, warm, sweet, and savory, with tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil, and sunshine carried into the finished pizza. Another is the pizza topped with roasted cherry tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil hollandaise sauce, which was awarded Pizza of the Year 2023. The two dishes show the range inside the same kitchen language: one pared back to essentials, the other built with a tighter, more layered finish, both grounded in ingredient quality. Barcelona is not just the setting here; it is part of the reading of the work, present in the way the pizzas are framed and received.
Signature
Rafa's signature dishes include Margarita.
Acclaim
Rafa's honors include The Best Pizza Award, ranked No. 2 among the world's 100 best pizzerias (2024) and Pizza of the Year 2023 (2023).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Rafa
What is Rafa Panatieri's current role?
As of 2026, Rafa Panatieri is Chef.
What recognition has Rafa Panatieri received?
The Best Pizza Award, ranked No. 2 among the world's 100 best pizzerias (2024).
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