Valentino Ugolini

The Path

Italian dough work starts with sequence: flour, yeast, heat, time. In Valentino Ugolini’s case, that sequence carries a Montefalco, Italy point of reference into Hong Kong, where discipline and precision shaped the cooking, including service as Sous Chef at 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA. The craft stayed recognisably Italian while working inside a faster, denser restaurant rhythm. Wood-fired pizza at CIAK – In The Kitchen, in Hong Kong, became a defined station of practice when Ugolini became Founding Chef de Cuisine. The specialty there used a premium blend of four flours, live yeast imported from Italy, and 36 hours of slow fermentation. The described result — aromatic pizza with a golden crust, flavourful crumb, and crispy crunch — points to process before topping: fermentation, bake, structure, finish. Fermentation is the control point in this work. Ugolini’s own line is plain enough for any baker to recognise: “The yeast is the base of everything, the base of the fermentation. If the yeast is not good, the pizza will not be perfect, no matter how great the toppings are.” The emphasis is not on garnish or theatre, but on the condition of the dough before it reaches the fire. Italian stewing technique also marked the Hong Kong restaurant through Stewed Baby Octopus, an Italian varietal called Moscardini, identified as a signature. Like the pizza, it kept the cooking tied to Italian memory without treating distance from Italy as a break in the method.

The Work Today

The current cooking combines Umbrian roots, Michelin-honed finesse, and Hong Kong-inspired flair in Italian dishes described as bold, honest, and memorable. Within those terms, Ugolini’s work reads less as reinvention than continuation: an Italian kitchen language adjusted through movement, responsibility, and repetition. The through-line runs from Montefalco to Hong Kong through Italian craft grammar. The dough discipline associated with CIAK sits beside the broader Italian language now spoken at Venedia. The constants are base notes a working cook will recognise: fermentation, texture, seasoning, ingredient integrity, and a plate that carries clarity with warmth.

Signature

Signature dishes associated with Valentino Ugolini include Pizza Tartufo Nero, Norcina, Stewed Baby Octopus, Diavola pizza, and tagliolini carbonara. The range stays inside an Italian vocabulary: truffle fragrance, Norcina comfort, Moscardini cooked for slow savour, the direct heat of Diavola pizza, and the familiar richness of tagliolini carbonara. Hong Kong is not treated as decoration here; it is part of the working context that shaped the execution.

In Their Words “The yeast is the base of everything, the base of the fermentation. If the yeast is not good, the pizza will not be perfect, no matter how great the toppings are.” “Cooking is my heritage. Every ingredient tells a story. I am here to ‘Spread A Little Happiness’.”

Acclaim

Recognition for Valentino Ugolini includes 50 Top Pizza — Number 13 Top Pizzeria in Asia (2022) and 50 Top Pizza Awards — Asia’s #1 Pizzeria (2020).