STREETERVILLE CHEF
E
xecutive Chef Massimiliano Campagnini’s career journey has been a passionate pursuit of artistry and excellence at his craft. He is a native Italian from Bologna, the gastronomic capital of Italy, and he cooked in renowned kitchens of Europe before he arrived in the United States in 1999.
MASSIMILIANO CAMPAGNINI Executive Chef: Volare 201 E. Grand Ave. • Chicago, IL 60611
Alberghiero, Casel San Pietro Terme. “It was quite a program, lasting five years, he said. The first three focused on the culinary arts and the last two focused on hospitality management and the restaurant business. To this day, it is Campagnini’s strong belief
Information: (312) 410-9900 www.volarerestaurant.com
“There was no question about what I was going to do with my life,” Campagnini said. “My grandmother and mother were always in the kitchen preparing excellent meals, and I was joyfully included in the kitchen.” At age 14, he started at one of the best culinary schools in Europe, Ippsar that love and passion for food are the two requisites for becoming a great chef. “I learned this early and it was reinforced by my teachers and the chefs with whom I worked after I finished culinary school,” he said. “You can develop good technical skill in the kitchen and that will earn you respect. But it is the feeling you put into your dishes that keeps your guests coming back time and time again. Love and passion enable you to produce ‘mamma’s food’ which, in Italy, is the best food of all.”
One of the Campagnini’s mentors was Stefano Donegaglia; he had the opportunity to meet and work with him at an early age. “Chef Stefano elevated my sense of myself as a culinary professional. I learned that I could really impact people through my culinary art as long as I put love into my food, and I also learned that artistry isn’t enough. You have to run an efficient operation, as well. “Campagnini is proud of the fact that he won first prize in a culinary competition while in school. “I had to prepare a dish from famous Italian chef Artusi-stuffed quail with zucchini and carrots Parisienne,” he said. After finishing school, he wanted to broaden his professional horizons and
staged at a number of fine hotels on the Adriatic coast of Italy, at a time when there was a food renaissance in this part of the country. He then worked in Bologna for two years, Paris for one year and worked his way to the original center of Shakespearean theater in London. In 1999, Campagnini came to Chicago. Via Emilia in Lincoln Park and La Donna in Andersonville were the first neighborhoods to enjoy Campagnini’s unique and delicious meals. In 2002, he met Benny Siddu and has been with the restaurateur ever since at Volare Chicago. At Volare, guests return and request their favorite dish and say, “‘this tastes the same as it did last time.’ I know that I’ve really accomplished something. Being consistent is not easy, but it’s what I strive for every single day,” Campagnini said.
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312-482-8800 200 E. Chestnut Street Chicago, IL
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streeterville COMMUNITY GUIDE 3/7/2018 12:47:48 PM