Francesco Mazzei

Francesco Mazzei reminds us why we fell in love with Italian food in the first place, conjuring soulful dishes that put flavour first. The chef hails from Calabria – the toe on Italy’s boot and the region noted for producing n’duja. Like n’duja, Mazzei has come to prominence in the last few years – impressing fellow chefs, bloggers and critics alike at his swish off-Liverpool Street restaurant, L’Anima. From making ice cream at his uncle’s gelateria at the age of nine to working at London’s prestigious Dorchester Hotel and on the pastry sections at Hakkasan and Yautcha, Mazzei has led a varied career that has straddled Rome, Edinburgh, London, Bangkok (where he opened an Italian restaurant at the Royal Sporting Club) and Calabria. But his cut-no-corners approach - inspired by growing up in a family that makes its own charcuterie from scratch - has remained undimmed throughout. He opened L’Anima in 2008, which has since become one of the leading lights of London’s collection of Italian restaurants. Signature dishes at L’Anima – such as Charcoal scallops with n’duja and salsa verde and Spit roast leg of lamb with cannellini beans and black cabbage - offer prime examples of a style that marries rustic Calabrian flavours with Modern European precision. Away from the kitchen, Mazzei enjoys gardening and has spoken of his desire to open a self-sustaining gastropub in the future. He has appeared on a number of cookery shows - including Saturday Kitchen and Market Kitchen – and has become something of a culinary star in both Italy and the UK.