The creations of great chefs
VITO MOLLICA
GOLD AND SILVER: TOUCHES OF BEAUTY
Vito Mollica discovered edible gold thanks to Gualtiero Marchesi and his famous saffron and gold leaf risotto. In the kitchen of the restaurant Il Palagio, a true temple of taste housed behind the walls and within the gardens of the Four Seasons Hotel in Florence, we find gold and silver is the perfect finishing touch when enhancing a good dish. And when celebrating its beauty(*).
From family dishes to Four Seasons kitchens
At the helm of the Il Palagio restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel in Florence, Vito Mollica won a Michelin star in 2011. In 2013 his “Cavatelli cacio e pepe con gamberi rossi e calamaretti” (Cavatelli cheese and pepper with red shrimps and squids) were awarded dish of the year by L’Espresso’s Italian Restaurant Guide.
His passion for cooking comes from afar, from his memories as a young boy in love with the specialities prepared by his mother in Southern Italy. In 1996 he was at the Four Seasons Hotel Milan, and four years later he moved to the Four Seasons Hotel in Prague. In 2007 he arrived in Florence, where – again for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts – he opened Il Palagio.
The cult of quality
Its menu is centred on Italian and Tuscan haute cuisine. The ingredients come from local producers because Mollica has always believed we need to “know the person behind the product”. He finds his vendors in farmers’ markets and amongst small producers in the Tuscan countryside who share his love for quality. For Mollica the value of a dish lies above all in the quality of its ingredients and the strength of the team that prepares it.
Vito Mollica is featured as the main character in two books: “Invitation to dinner at the Palagio in Florence” by Aldo Fiordelli and “Il Brunch Italiano”, which is a collection of recipes that made the Sunday Brunch of “his” Four Seasons truly iconic. Since 2017 he has been the Director of Food and Beverage as well as Executive Chef.
The video has the sole purpose of presenting the product(*)
