Chef Ivano Ricchebono, * Michelin star

Also known for his television appearances, as a regular guest since 2013 on La prova del Cuoco and then on È sempre Mezzogiorno with Antonella Clerici on Rai Uno, Ivano Ricchebono is the head chef at The Cook, a 1* Michelin restaurant in Genoa, and consultant to the Diana Gourmet restaurant at the Diana Grand Hotel. A lecturer at ALMA, the prestigious International School of Italian Cuisine, he stands out in the kitchen for his use of seasonal and local Ligurian products. His dishes, often based on fish, are frequently inspired by traditional Ligurian recipes which, thanks to his touch, acquire elegance and clean flavors.

Born in Genoa in 1972, Ivano Ricchebono developed a passion for cooking at an early age, which led him to enroll at the Bergese Hotel Management School in Genoa. At the age of 16, he began working in a family hotel in Spotorno and subsequently gained experience in various hotels in Genoa over a period of eight years. Among the many, there are the seasons in Forte dei Marmi, where his encounter with chef Stefano Giorgi at the helm of the Hotel Atlantico allowed him to take an important step in his career. He spent five seasons there as chef de partie and, upon returning to Genoa, put his skills into practice first for two years at Matahari, then at the Hotel Melograno in Spotorno, in collaboration with AccorHotels, one of the world's leading French hotel groups, and finally at the Novotel chain.

In 2004, he opened the elegant restaurant The Cook, together with his wife Elisa Arduini, the restaurant's sommelier. Six years later, in 2010, he received his first Michelin star, which is still unique in the entire province. In the restaurant, located in the historic center of Genoa, the chef welcomes guests into a dining room dominated by 17th-century frescoes by Bernardo Strozzi.

Since 2019, Chef Ricchebono has been consulting for the Diana Grand Hotel, with the aim of enhancing the flavors of local and seasonal ingredients in a premier setting.