Chef Giuseppe Branca

Chef At Home in Catania

I am a proud Sicilian with a deep love for cooking authentic, hearty dishes that carry the soul of our island’s rich culinary traditions. Growing up, I spent countless hours in the kitchen with my nonna, learning time-honored recipes passed down through generations. From rolling fresh pasta to perfecting rustic sauces, her teachings rooted me in Sicily’s vibrant food culture. As a farmer, I grow extra virgin olive oil, aromatic herbs, and fruits on my own farm, infusing my dishes with their fresh, vibrant flavors. My passion for cooking has been shaped by travels abroad, where I explored diverse culinary landscapes, adding new dimensions to my craft. Now, I delight in sharing these soulful dishes with visitors from around the world, inviting them to savor the true flavors of Sicily through every bite. Whether it’s a simple plate of pasta or a rustic family recipe, I pour my heart into creating meals that celebrate our heritage and bring people together.

For me, cooking is...

Cooking is my heart, blending Sicilian traditions with my farm’s fresh ingredients. It’s joy, connection, and sharing Sicily’s soulful flavors

I learned to cook at...

I’m a Sicilian, cooking with my nonna’s recipes, honed at Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Maruzzella in Madrid, Sagrè, and with Chef E. Pantorno.

A cooking secret...

My secret? Cooking Sicilian dishes with my nonna, where every recipe holds generations of love and flavor keeping inside the smell of biodiversity

My menus

Local - Indulge

STARTER

All inclusive

Frittata con verdure selvatiche, omelette free range eggs with wild vegetables (vegetarian)

Parmigiana di Melanzane, eggplants with tomatoes sauce, pecorino cheese and basil

Selezione di olive verdi e nere, selection of green and black olives

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Pasta al forno, Oven baked pasta with tomatoes ragù and cheese

Penne alla Norma, pasta with tomatoes passata sauce, fried eggplant and salted ricotta cheese (vegetarian)

Ditalini pasta with fresh ricotta, black pepper, extra-vergin olive oil and pecorino cheese (vegetarian)

Spaghetti alla carrettiera, pasta with garlic, parsley, pecorino cheese and breadcrumbs

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Tagliata e polpetta di Cavallo, grilled horse steak and meat ball with grilled vegetable

Carne alla pizzaiola, beef steak with tomatoes sauce, cheese, carrots served with mashed potatoes

Involtini di melanzana, eggplant roll with breadcrumb, pecorino cheese and parsley served with fennel salad

Puntine e costata di maiale, pork bellly and pork rib cop served with a Sicilian wine sauce and roasted potatoes

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Sicilian Cannolo with sweet ricotta cheese

Lemon granita with meant garnish

Seasonal fresh fruit and dry fruit

Selection of Custard or ricotta cream Bignè

Mediterranean/Seafood-Exclusive

STARTER

All inclusive

Crudité of Seasonal fish, Red prawns, White prawns, Scampi and Marinated Smoked Swordfish

Marinated Calamari with capers and a drop of Extravirgin Olive Oil

Patate al lime, Potatoes with lime and prawns

Selection of Seasonal cheese from Erei mountain and green Olives (As an Appetizer/aperitive)

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Paccheri ai crostacei, pasta with maine lobster, langoustine and prawns

Risotto ai frutti di Mare, Sicilian style risotto with mussels, swordfish, calamari and prawns

Spaghetti al nero, pasta with Black squid ink ragù

Bucatini con le sarde, Bucatini with sardines, wild fennel, raisins, pine nuts, and toasted breadcrumbs

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Dentice al Sale, snapper fish cooked in salt rock

Pesce spada al forno, oven swordfish steak smothered in a rich tomato sauce with capers, olives, and herbs

Filetto di tonno, tuna fillet with sweet and sour onion served with capper sauce and grilled vegetables

Polpette di sarde in umido, sardines balls made with breadcrumbs, raisin, pinenuts cooked in a homemade tomatoes sauce

DESSERT

All inclusive

Sicilian pastries with almonds and choccolate

Sicilian Cannolo, iconic crisp pastry tube filled with creamy ricotta, candied fruit, and a dusting of powdered sugar

Fresh fruit, fresh seasonal Sicilian fruits, bursting with natural sweetness and vibrant island flavors

Local - Basic

STARTER

All inclusive

Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, garlic, oregano and extra-vergin olive oil (vegetarian)

Pepata di cozze, mussels soup with fresh tomatoes, garlic and parsley

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Salsiccia con patate, Sicilian sausage with potatoes and grilled vegetables

Involtini di maiale, stuffed pork rolls with pecorino cheese and pistacchio served with green beans

Free range eggs frittata with potatoes, onion and tomatoes salad

Spada al forno, swordfish steak, served with Sicilian mix salad (lattuce, onion, carrots, fresh tomatoes)

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Sicilian Cannolo, iconic crisp pastry tube filled with creamy ricotta, candied fruit, and a dusting of powdered sugar

Cassata Siciliana – Lush sponge cake soaked in liqueur, layered with sweetened ricotta, candied fruits, and encased in vibrant green marzipan, topped with icing and candied citrus

Mix of Sicilian small dessert, a delightful assortment of traditional Sicilian sweets, including mini cannoli, almond pastries, and more

Mediterranean/Seafood - Basic

STARTER

All inclusive

Cozze gratinate, Mussels with breadcrumbs and aromatic herbs

Marinated Calamari with capers and a drop of Extravirgin Olive Oil

Bruschetta with garlic, black olives and fresh tomatoes (vegetarian)

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Pesce spada al forno, oven swordfish steak smothered in a rich, spicy tomato sauce with capers, olives, and herbs

Grigliata di pesce, Grilled Fish (Depending on market availability) with green salad and lemon salsa

Filetto di dentice, snapper fish filet oven cooked with pistacchio crust served with fresh tomatoes and carrots salad

Filetto di tonno, tuna fillet with sweet and sour onion and a cappers sauce

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Cassata Siciliana with ricotta cheese

Fresh fruit

Lemon granita with meant garnish

Mix of Sicilian small dessert

Local - Exclusive

STARTER

Choose 3 dishes

Crudité of Seasonal fish, Red prawns, White prawns, Scampi and Marinated Smoked Swordfish

Marinated calamari with capers, stracciatella cheese and a drop of extra-virgin Olive Oil

Smashed olives with garlic and oregano (vegetarian)

Selection of Seasonal cheese and Olives (vegetarian)

Carpaccio di Asino, donkey carpaccio served withfresh ricotta cheese and green salad

FIRST COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Risotto ai frutti di Mare with mussels, swordfish, calamari and prawns

Paccheri Pasta ai crostacei, with maine lobster, langoustine and prawns

Maccheroncini alla Norma with tomato sauce, eggplants and aged ricotta cheese (vegetarian)

Penne al ragù, Pasta with Nebrodi Mountain pork ragù served with cured pecorino cheese

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Dentice al Sale, snapper fish cooked in a salt rock stone served with fresh tomatoes

Grilled amberjack with leaves salad and lemon salsa

Fresh Orange salad with extra-vergin olive oil, spring onion and oregano (vegetarian)

Involtini di maiale, pork rolls with piacentino pecorino cheese and cured ham (crudo) served with grilled vegetables

Tagliata di Cavallo, grilled horse steak with grilled vegetable

DESSERT

All inclusive

Sicilian pastries

Selection of Sicilian dessert

Cannolo with ricotta cheese or custard cream

Fresh fruit

Mediterranean vegetarian - Basic

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Two Bruschetta, one with garlic, black olives and another with fresh tomatoes and

Formaggi misti, cured pecorino cheese, fresh ricotta and caciocavallo cheese (vegetarian)

Frittata con senape, free range eggs with wild vegetable

Olive e pomodorini, green olives and sundry tomatoes

Caprese, Buffalo mozzarella and fresh tomatoes salad

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Busiate alla Trapanese, fresh pasta with Sicilian pesto (tomatoes, almond, garlic)

Maccheroncini alla Norma with tomato sauce, eggplants and aged ricotta cheese

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Grilled vegetables with potatoes salad

DESSERT

All inclusive

Cassata Siciliana with ricotta cheese

Fresh fruit

Lemon granita with meant garnish

Mix of Sicilian small dessert

The Grill - Basic

STARTER

All inclusive

Grilled Bruschetta with extra-vergin olive oil, salt, oregano and garlic (vegetarian)

Frittata with onion (vegetarian)

Marinated Anchiovies with Sicilian lemon juice

Cured pecorino cheese, fresh primo sale pecorino, Erei mountain provola cheese, green and black olives

Grilled Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and Buffalo mozzarella

Parmigiana eggplants

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Maccheroncini alla Norma with tomato sauce, eggplants and aged ricotta cheese

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Grilled Nebrodi black pork sausage with potatoes and grilled vegetables

Grilled meat steak from Modicana cow meat

Grilled Nebrodi black pork rolls stuffed with pistacchio, pecorino cheese and cured ham

Sicilian donkey meat ball

Fresh tomatoes salad with onion

Grilled vegetables

DESSERT

All inclusive

Sicilian Cannolo

Lemon granita

Fresh fruit

Mix of Sicilian small dessert

The Grill - indulge

STARTER

All inclusive

Formaggi misti e olive, Cheese selection, olives and sun-dried tomatoes

Insalata d'arancia, Fresh Sicilian Orange salad with spring onion and oregano

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Penne con verdure, pasta with wild vegetable, breadcrumbs and pecorino cheese (vegetarian)

Spaghetti alla carrettiera, pasta with breadcrumbs, pecorino cheese and garlic (vegetarian)

Busiate alla Trapanese, fresh pasta with Sicilian pesto (tomatoes, almond, garlic)

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Fettina di controfiletto ai ferri, Grilled beef sirloin served with green and tomato salad

Salsiccia Siciliana, Grilled Sausages served with wild vegetables mustard

Involtini di maiale, pork rolls with ragusano cheese and pistacchio served with grilled vegetable

Polpette di manzo in agrodolce, meat balls with sweet and sour onion serve with breadcrumbed peppers

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Cassata Siciliana with ricotta cheese

Lemon granita and seasonal fruit

Ricotta cream Bignè

Fresh fruit

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Chef Giuseppe's reviews

4.83

•

16 services

Giuseppe is an amazing chef who provided a wonderful meal and experience for my group of friends. He was thoughtful and responsive throughout the booking process, arrived on time and extremely prepared for the day, and ran a smooth kitchen. He brought special ingredients (including olives and olive oil direct from his farm!) and gave us a 4 course delicious meal. 10/10 would definitely recommend!!

Hiring Giuseppe was absolutely perfect. He made authentic Sicilian dishes that tasted amazing. We chose to do more of a bbq because of the season and it did not disappoint. He was punctual and left our kitchen cleaner that I it was before they started. Their ingredients were very fresh. For example they brought their own olive oil that was made two weeks ago! The whole group was happy and full by the end of the dinner! It was a great experience and would highly recommend Giuseppe! If you’re also lucky enough to get his dad as a sous chef, they make a great team!

If you are looking for an authentic experience of Sicilian food and cooking, look no further than Chef Giuseppe. He produces many of his own ingredients on his family farm near Catania, and his passion for home-grown produce and for Sicilian food and culture is apparent in everything he does. We had discussed having sea bass for our main course, but the fresh catch of the day at the local fish market was amberjack so that is what Giuseppe cooked for us - exactly the kind of service we were hoping for. Above all, Giuseppe was a warm and friendly presence in our villa. We were not sure how it might "feel" to have a chef in the kitchen of our holiday home, but we could not have been happier or more at ease to have Giuseppe join us. The whole experience was the highlight of our trip - thank you again Giuseppe!

Chef Giuseppe Branca created the most memorable experience for us and our family. From his quiet joyful presence, attention to detail and quality of each dish, it was the perfect night of celebration for our wedding. He even made sure to provide a surprise dessert complete with a candle to make my brother feel extra special as it was also his birthday. Chef Giuseppe Branca was very responsive and easy to work with as we fine-tuned the menu to fit the needs of our larger party (allergies and dietary restrictions). Every dish was plated with care, the courses were appropriately timed, and served at perfect temperatures. We wish we could fly him and his father out to California for all special occasions moving forward!

Amazing experience