Chef Niccolo Dal Lago

Professional Journey Before Private Cheffing

After attending culinary school, I began my professional journey with summer

internships in 2019 and 2020 at “Amaro”

, a grill-focused restaurant in Viareggio

known for its high-quality meat and attention to ingredients. This experience

introduced me to the professional kitchen environment and allowed me to work

with excellent raw materials, particularly meat, while developing my basic skills and

discipline during service.

In 2021, during my final year of high school, I decided to challenge myself by

independently managing the bar/restaurant of a tennis club in the renowned area

of Forte dei Marmi. This demanding but rewarding experience helped me grow in

terms of organization, autonomy, and responsibility, as I handled both the kitchen

and daily operations.

After that, I felt it was time to broaden my perspective—not only professionally, but

personally—so I moved to Australia, where I worked as Head Chef in an Italian

restaurant with a strong focus on fresh pasta, house-made bread, and classic Italian

dishes. This international experience allowed me to develop greater adaptability,

refine my leadership in the kitchen, and connect with a multicultural clientele.

Once back in Italy, I worked for two months during the off-season at Hotel Airone,

where I was Chef in charge of preparing lunches and dinners for large groups,

typically ranging from 30 to 60 guests. This role helped me enhance my skills in

high-volume service, menu planning, and time management.

Alongside these experiences, much of my culinary knowledge has also come from

self-study, continuous research, and countless hours of personal experimentation. I

consider myself partially self-taught, driven by a deep passion for cooking and a

constant desire to grow and improve both technically and creatively.

Following these experiences, I chose to transition into the private chef sector, driven

by several professional motivations: the opportunity to build a closer, more

personalized relationship with clients; the creative freedom to design tailor-made

menus; and the ability to focus on quality and detail over quantity. Working as a

private chef allows me to adapt my cuisine to each client’s lifestyle and preferences,

delivering not only food, but a fully curated culinary experience.