The made in Italy empire of taste is not only a pleasure for the palate, but also a real industry that keeps on growing. And the great starred chefs, whether they are TV stars or not, keep the turnover of their restaurants (and those with whom they collaborate in the kitchen) running. Indeed, according to the ranking drawn up by Pambianco Strategie d'Impresa, the best Italian chef from an entrepreneurial point of view is Massimiliano Alajmo, someone who practically doesn't go on TV at all but who, working away from the spotlight, has conquered the three Michelin stars for the Le Calandre restaurant in Rubano, in the province of Padua. In 2018 he and his brother Raffaele, second generation cooks who fulfilled the dream of father Erminio and mother Rita of bringing their cuisine to the top of the world, set in motion 14,1 million euros, up 5% compared to 13,4 million in revenues from the previous year. A trend destined to grow, given that the gourmet cuisine of the Alajmos is also about to land in South Africa, in collaboration with the most prestigious local wine producers. The chef brothers have already designed 10 high-level restaurants in Italy, from Quadri in Piazza San Marco in Venice to Amor, the latest venue opened in Corso Como in Milan.
To complete the podium of "turnover chefs" there are two television stars of the caliber of Antonino Cannavacciuolo, the exuberant Neapolitan owner of Villa Crespi in Orta San Giulio, on Lake Orta in the province of Novara, and Carlo Cracco, who left the Masterchef jury to devote himself more to the new restaurant in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. The results were seen, given that the 53-year-old from Vicenza recorded the greatest growth from 2017 to 2018, almost doubling his revenues from 7,2 to 13 million, even if the closure of the historic restaurant in via Victor Hugo simultaneously made him lose a Michelin star. However, according to the Pambianco ranking, Cracco is third: the chef from Vico Equense, who in 2018 had a turnover of almost 2017 million, remains in second place, even if the 10 data have not been made official. Cannavacciuolo, two Michelin stars, participates again in Masterchef, after being the protagonist of another successful format: Kitchens from a nightmare, the Italian version of the TV program created by the British colleague Gordon Ramsey.
Perhaps the number one Italian chef stands at the foot of the podium, at least according to international awards such as first place in The World's 50 Best Restaurants, won both in 2016 and 2018: Massimo Bottura, three Michelin stars and historic owner of the Osteria Francescana in Modena, the only chef to have obtained an honorary degree in Business Management and consecrated in 36th place among the 50 best chefs in the world. Even for Bottura, there is no data for 2018, but Pambianco confirms fourth place by virtue of the 6,9 million accumulated in 2017. In fifth place is Enrico Bartolini, patron of the Mudec in Milan and recently also of the Locanda del Sant'Uffizio, in Monferrato: in 2018 the Tuscan starred chef had a turnover of 9 million, ahead of Veronese Giancarlo Perbellini with 6,1 million, Andrea Berton with 5,5 million, Niko Romito, three Michelin stars at Castel Di Sangro and launched by the collaboration with Bulgari, at 5,3 million. The Piedmontese Enrico Crippa and the Campanian Alfonso Iaccarino close the ranking, respectively with 4,2 and 3,1 million.
