Marianna Vitale, 40 years old Neapolitan, is the winner of the 2020 Michelin Chef Woman Award, by Veuve Cliquot. The important recognition was given to her in the context of the fifth edition ofAtelier des Grandes Dames, the network that celebrates female talent in haute cuisine, wanted by the note maison of champagne.
Marianna Vitale, awarded for her tenacity
Marianna Vitale is one of the 43 Italian chefs at the head of starred restaurants, which in the world are 168 in total. In Quarto, in the province of Naples, he has been managing his restaurant for eleven years "South", which in 2012 won a Michelin star, just 3 years after its inauguration. The young woman was selected by the Michelin inspectors “For the tenacity with which he has built a quality catering project outside the tourist circuits of his region”.
The motivation of the Michelin inspectors reads, in particular: “With a spirit of adventure, rigor and leadership, Marianna has created a place that reflects her personality. 'Classic' dishes of the territory and taste itineraries elaborated daily are flanked by new inventions, making the Sud restaurant one of the most interesting realities of the Neapolitan and Italian gastronomic panorama ”.
A great passion for cooking
Marianna Vitale is a beautiful, sunny and cultured woman, who has also shown that she has a lot of courage and determination. In his restaurant, where he spends most of his days, he has been able to combine tradition with that pinch of innovation that doesn't hurt. Grew up in the neighborhood of Porta Capuana, since she was a child, she has had a great passion for kitchenprobably inherited from his father, who was a professional cook. She would like to attend the hotel school, but her mother pushes her to follow a classic path.
In 2004 he graduated with honors in Spanish Language and Literature. But the passion for cooking continues to prevail over the others, and he understands that his path is in catering. After a year's experience a Palazzo Petrucci, starred court of Neapolitan chef Lino Scarallo, Marianna learns the basics of simple and territorial cuisine and begins to think about her own project.
In 2009 the "Sud" restaurant was born
The following year, 2009, with awareness and determination, she founded the “Sud” restaurant, flanked by her husband, the sommelier Pino Esposito. Marianna bets on an area far from the tourist circuits, with the specific intent of enhancing the territory and the flavors that characterize it. But he doesn't give up on creativity. Initially thought of as a wine bar, the place soon becomes a real surprise for the town of Campi Flegrei. In 2011 Marianna is the "emerging chef" of Il Sole 24 Ore. In 2015 she was "best cook in Italy" for the guides of L'Espresso and Identità Golose.
In 2019, in Naples, he inaugurates a modern diner to which he gives the name of his grandmother "Angelina". From it he has drawn the useful lessons to propose a local cuisine attentive to waste. His restaurant has recently been recognized as the best pasta proposal for the Gambero Rosso 2020 guides.
Marianna Vitale, southern excellence
Being able to achieve such significant goals for a young woman who has staked everything on the suburbs denotes the great character of Marianna Vitale. Woman, wife, mother, far-sighted entrepreneur, today the best chef in Italy. She, who believed in her territory from the beginning, has been rewarded. Thanks to his stubbornness and his talent. It represents a true excellence of the south, that south, rich in colors and flavors, which through its delicious dishes aims to make known to the whole world.
(Photo: Marianna Vitale Sud Facebook page)
