Vito Mollica

When still a child, Vito Mollica discovered his passion for cooking while watching his mother prepare Lucanian specialities in Avigliano, his Basilicata hometown in the province of Potenza. Born in 1971, Mollica began his career in 1996 at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, a prestigious Canadian hotel brand, first in Milan, then in Prague in 2000, before he arrived at
the Florence landmark in 2007. The city fascinated him. “From the outset, I found myself in a paradise of perfection: the art, the history, the cuisine.”

In November 2011, he led the restaurant Il Palagio to a Michelin star, offering a menu focused on Italian and Tuscan haute cuisine. Two years later, he earned the Espresso Guide Dish of the Year award, thanks to his Cavatelli cacio e pepe with marinated red prawns and baby squid. In 2014, he was named Chef of the Year by the Il Sole 24 Ore Restaurant Guide. In
May 2015, he assumed a double role: in addition to running the restaurant in Florence, he also took over the restaurant at the Four Seasons in Milan. His return to the Milanese metropolis as Executive Chef made him “very happy, especially to be the heir of as great a master as Sergio Mei,” he says. Since April 2022, he has returned permanently to Florence to orchestrate the restaurant venues at Palazzo Portinari Salviati, one of the city’s oldest buildings now transformed into an elegant five-star hotel.

In 2010, he published his first book, Vito Mollica – Invito a cena al Palagio di Firenze (Vito Mollica – An Invitation to Dinner at Il Palagio in Florence), written by Aldo Fiordelli for Trenta Editore publishers, recounting the early years of Vito’s career and his discovery of haute cuisine. His second book came out in Spring 2016, Il Brunch Italiano, providing a collection of his  recipes. Over the years, he has been the featured star of numerous international events designed to promote the culture of Italian cuisine around the world. In 2017, he received the  Leadership Excellence Award at the This is Italy event organised in New York by Panorama with the aim of celebrating Italian excellence. In 2019, he acted as Guest Chef and President of the Jury at Italian Cuisine Week in Japan organised by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Tokyo.

“Whether it’s Cinta Senese cured meats or free-range chickens, you always have to know the man behind the product, because there is no such thing as luxury at the table without excellent raw materials.”

Mollica’s ars coquendi philosophy is reflected in his firsthand research in the Tuscan countryside among markets and small producers who share his passion for quality, authenticity and seasonality in primary materials. “Care in the production of ingredients is reflected in the taste,” he maintains. The rest is done by flair, experimentation, attention to cooking techniques and textures, in a game of harmony and balance. “The simpler the manner in which ingredients are prepared, the easier it is to amplify their flavour.” Blend in a natural aptitude for hospitality. “For us, hospitality is much more than just cooking,” Mollica explains. “It means taking care of our guests in small ways, paying attention to detail, creating a discreet presence, providing the generosity and spontaneity with which we help them enjoy themselves and feel at home even in a sophisticated environment.”