Chef De Lillo on rigors and disappointments: "The future is wonderful and unpredictable."

Born in 1998 in Torbole sul Garda, Andrea De Lillo is the new chef at the helm of Nin , a restaurant in Brenzone sul Garda , on the Verona side of the lake, opened in 2023 by Terry Giacomello, who earned a Michelin star here with his molecular cuisine . A prestigious legacy that the young chef achieved only after seeking his path far from his homeland, amidst moments of doubt, changes of direction, and a few disappointments that over time proved providential. "I love rigor and precision. That's why I initially wanted to be a pastry chef." Precise by nature and a lover of rigor in the kitchen, De Lillo approached the world of catering with a predilection for the sweet side, with his codified, "scientific" and reassuring recipes. He studied at hotel management school with the conviction that he wanted to become a pastry chef. His decision was changed when he entered the Tione Higher Education School, where he was forced to experiment with savory dishes, beginning his apprenticeship in prestigious kitchens such as Alfio Ghezzi's Locanda Margon, Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana, and Andrea Berton's "Berton." It was here, experiencing all the challenges, that he broadened his horizons and developed the desire to become a chef.

His first experience abroad was in 2018 in Copenhagen, working in the kitchen of Relae alongside Italian-Danish chef Christian Puglisi, which for years was ranked the most sustainable restaurant in the world in the Fifty Best ranking: "We bought whole animal carcasses and used every part of them; we had a vegetable garden 30 minutes away from the restaurant, where we picked the vegetables we would use by the evening every day." Here, Chef De Lillo completed his most important apprenticeship, discovering entirely new processes—until then only studied in books—and gaining experience in all types of cooking preparations and techniques, from the most rustic to fine dining. "I understood what it really meant to work in the kitchen, to take on responsibility for a team, and to be part of a team. And by the end of the six-month internship, I had integrated so well into that small community that I wanted to stay even if it meant giving up my diploma in Italy. But the chef kicked me out because he wanted me to finish my studies and gain other experiences."

What had seemed like a closed door to him at the time was actually the springboard for an educational and life journey brimming with opportunities. Graduating with 98 points out of 100 ("I didn't get an A+ because of my chemistry teacher!"), Andrea packed his car with suitcases and his bike and set off for San Sebastian, Spain, to Paulo Airaudo's Amelia restaurant. There, he tested his skills in innovative cuisine, experimenting with age-old cooking techniques like barbecue: "I started on the grill and ended up as head pastry chef when the pastry chef quit without warning." De Lillo met one of the sous chefs at the Central restaurant in Lima, who suggested he try out for a stint in South America. "I wanted to move to Santiago, Chile, but it was the time of the uprisings, and I accepted Virgilio Martínez's offer: I left for Peru." We are between 2019 and 2020, only three months after his entry the Covid pandemic explodes.

Returning to Italy during lockdown was complicated for Andrea: not only logistically but also due to the forced inactivity. "After a couple of brief stints in luxury restaurants and hotels on Lake Garda, I even considered giving up cooking. I've always been passionate about water sports, and for a while I decided to work as an instructor alongside my father at his windsurfing school." The call of the stove, however, was irresistible, and Andrea decided to embark on a new adventure as a personal chef, opening a pop-up restaurant with an architect friend designed as a sort of home restaurant: "It only seated 12 people, and I did everything myself: I cooked, served the guests, and stayed until 2 a.m. washing dishes and glasses, tidying up. Every now and then my girlfriend or a sommelier friend would come to help, but mostly I just made do. And I would have continued if the owner of Vitis, a wine lounge with six tables in the heart of Arco, hadn't offered me a place."

Andrea's potential was noticed by the management of the Belfiore Park Hotel, who offered him a job as executive chef in the kitchen of the Nin restaurant. "I was hesitant to accept. Usually, I only change when I realize I've learned everything and given everything I had in a restaurant. And at Vitis, that moment hadn't arrived. But it could have been one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. So I did it, knowing I wanted to change everything, offering my own vision of the restaurant, a new connection with my hometown." Today, at the helm of his Michelin-starred kitchen, De Lillo puts to good use the skills he's acquired during his various experiences in Italy and abroad, leading the team with a fresh understanding of the stress of refereeing a match and applying the concept of sustainability to every aspect of his cuisine.