Support Chef Alessandro Pavoni to feed people in need.

Brescian-born chef Alessandro Pavoni blasted into Sydney's dining scene in 2009 with his first restaurant venture, the waterside fine-dining Italian gem Ormeggio at the Spit.

He brings with him a passion for food that developed at the age of 10 when he sampled a three-kilogram stuffed chicken his grandmother cooked. In a heroic feat, he managed to eat it all by himself. His mouth still waters when he thinks of it, and experiences such as these helped inspire him to undertake training at the Art, Science and Technological Centre of Food in Brescia and the Caterina de Medici Hospitality School.​

Alessandro began his career in Brescia, in Italy's north, working at Carlo Magno with the famous Iginio Massari and Giuseppe Maffioli. After working in various Michelin-starred venues such as La Rotonde in France and the two Michelin-starred Villa Fiordaliso on Lake Garda, Alessandro broadened his culinary horizons working in Bermuda at the famous Restaurant Lido before moving to Sydney permanently in 2003. He assumed the role of Executive Chef at Park Hyatt in 2005, managing a team of over 30 chefs before finally realising his dream of opening his own restaurant at the Spit, Mosman, in 2009.​

Since then, Alessandro has expanded Maestro Hospitality into a portfolio of restaurants and hospitality concepts, including Chiosco by Ormeggio, a’Mare, Cibaria Manly, Cibaria Noosa, Postino Osteria, Vineria Luisa, and Pizza’Mare,—each reflecting a distinct expression of Italian dining, from refined waterfront experiences to casual trattorias, all-day precincts and wine-led neighbourhood venues.

At CEO CookOff Sydney, Pavoni brings two decades of introducing Sydney to the food of northern Italy — Lombardy’s alpine, produce-driven traditions rather than the coastal south most Australians associate with Italian cooking.