LOCAL PEOPLE
A taste of Italy Davide Grigolato and his wife Maia are a wonderfully warm and welcoming Italian couple who have recently made West Devon their home. Davide has loved food for as long as he can remember - both eating it and cooking it - and has always had his heart set on becoming a chef, following in his grandmother Maria’s footsteps. Maria was a famous TV chef in the 60s who visited failing restaurants and advised them on turning their business around. Initially Davide worked as a web designer, but pursued a parallel life in various restaurants in Milan while he trained to be a chef. Seeking to widen his horizons, he decided to spend a few months travelling and experiencing other food cultures in Koh Phangan in Thailand, as well as New York and Miami, before arriving in London where he had an established group of friends. He quickly secured a job with a chain of restaurants in London, but before he had even started, he was headhunted by another restaurant. His career rocketed as he demonstrated his skill as a chef at a number of prestigious venues, such as White Box in Chelsea, haunt of the rich and famous, Elysée Artisan Café in Hammersmith which was awarded a certificate of excellence by Trip Advisor, and then as executive chef at Cacciari’s in South Kensington. It was while
he was working at L’Elysée that Elton John sent in a member of staff to order a take-away meal. Elton John enjoyed the food so much that for the next year Davide regularly cooked for him - this was not without its difficulties as the superstar often had particular requests, such as the month when all his food had to be the colour green! Davide and his wife Maia both grew up in Milan but didn’t meet until 2015 when they were both living in London. Maia is a climate change advisor and is now much in demand as
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