A 26-year-old chef from Pago Veiano, in the Sannio area near Benevento, is leading the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Florence.
Vittorio De Palma trained at the "Le Streghe" hospitality institute in Benevento and now heads the kitchen at Luca's Restaurant, located inside Hotel La Gemma in Florence, according to local television news outlet NTR24 and the hotel's official restaurant page.
Luca's retained its Michelin star, NTR24 reported on November 13. According to that report, the restaurant had earned the star the previous year, at a time when De Palma was working in Hong Kong.
The Florence appointment follows international experience. NTR24 reports that De Palma previously worked as sous chef at Amelia in San Sebastian and later at NOI in Hong Kong, both restaurants described in the report as holding two Michelin stars.
At Luca's, Paulo Airaudo is the chef and culinary figure behind the restaurant, while De Palma is responsible for day-to-day leadership of the kitchen. The hotel describes De Palma as the chef bringing an ingredient-led, contemporary approach to Tuscan cuisine.
That culinary identity places Luca's within the contemporary interpretation of Tuscan and Florentine cooking, presented inside Hotel La Gemma, as described by both the hotel and independent food publication Appetito.
For readers following De Palma's path, two details help explain the progression. First, his training began in Benevento's hospitality school system before moving into professional kitchens associated with highly rated restaurants in Spain and Hong Kong. Second, his current role combines responsibility for the Florence kitchen with the broader culinary direction provided by Airaudo.
De Palma credits family support, humility, sacrifice, and a willingness to keep learning as important factors in his career, according to NTR24.
The precise Michelin Guide edition and chronology were presented differently across the available sources, with NTR24 describing the result as a confirmation and the hotel page referring to a first star earned "this year." Readers checking the current Guide listing should therefore consult the relevant official Michelin Guide entry for Florence for the applicable year.
