Fabio Maiano, born in 1982, is a Chef from our city Imperia. We are really proud of him. He worked in prestigious kitchens such as the Restaurant Ratanà with Chef Cesare Battisti, and the Restaurant Salvo Cacciatori in Imperia, as well as he had international experiences, such as the one at The Westin Mumbai Garden City.
Chef Maiano is, above all, a longtime friend who knows our story and the passion we put in our work. Who better than him can teach us how to use our oils and our products and delicious recipes?
Let’s know him better…read our interview!
Personal info
Full Name
Fabio Maiano
Where and when are you born?
Imperia, 1982
When have you decided that the kitchen was your way?
When I was a child, I was really fascinated by my mom and grandmother in the kitchen. I used to spy on them cooking! But maybe the awareness arrived when I started to cook in a real kitchen.
His life around kitchens.
Which has been your first experience in a real kitchen?
I can say in 2005. A really close friend asked me to work with him in the month of August because he needed a helper during the season. It was an easy and typical menu but really well done. I still remember the mussels marinara as the first dish I did by myself in a restaurant.
Which is the experience that has changed you? The one that gave the breakthrough to your career?
Milano, for sure. At the Ristorante Ratanà. That is where I had the awareness that I have always extemporized… A chef and an actor hold one commonality: it’s fine to experiment but only after you have learned the basis.
Who could you define your Master among the Chefs you have worked with?
I don’t think that one mentor in our life exists. But I can say that Chef Cesare Battisti is the one closest to this role. In Milan, a lot of times he has been a father for me.
Three adjective to define the kitchen.
Exhausting. Comforting. Exciting. In this precise order. Without the tiring the hours spent on your feet in the kitchen, you would not be able to appreciate the feeling of making something good that can excite other people.
Songs & Memories
Three songs that you love to listen while you are cooking.
Ancora tu – Lucio Battisti
Get lucky – Daft Punk
No church in The wild – Jay Z
Three memories that you associate to the kitchen.
A risotto cooked with my dad, I was 6 years old.
The experience as Chef in India.
My first risotto at Ratanà.
Favorite dishes & Oil
Your three favorite dishes.
Risotto Milanese.
Minestrone of my Mom.
A good soup of vegetable and meat.
Which is your favourite dishes among the ones you have cooked for us?
I love pasta because it identifies an important part of our culinary history. Often it is not done in the right way and it is undervalued. The Spaghetti Il Gagliardo is for sure one of my favorite.
Which is among the Olio Fresia’s products that you have used the one that represents you more?
I can tell without any doubts the Rosabianca. In its simplicity and pureness stays the secrets of its amazing taste. Without it, a lot of recipes of my beloved Liguria would not have any reasons to exists.
Chef Life
Do you cook also at home? What can’t be missed in your fridge?
When I’m at home I rarely cook. But we are really trusty to mashed potatoes (God bless kitchen robot) and to steak tartare.
If you could go back in time, would you decide to be again a Chef?
I’m really fatalist. If life has put in front of me this road it’s because in the kitchen I can express myself at my best. So yes, I would do the same mistake : )
