About Us

My career as a chef began when I was 14 years old in Brescia, Italy where I was born and raised. I watched the chef of a local trattoria make fresh, homemade pastas and desserts. Eventually I became a personal assistant to the owner, buying fresh fruit, meat and other ingredients for the restaurant.

I was called to serve one year in the Italian army when I was 18. I selected the position of cook for 5000 soldiers. In 1994 I was offered a chef’s position at Francesco’s, an Italian restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland. Meanwhile, I studied foreign language at Stevenson’s College. In 1997 I moved to London where I worked on the grand opening of Rhode’s in the Square, which soon become a restaurant hot-spot and earned one-Michelin star status. I spent the following year in Spain, perfecting my Spanish and immersing myself in its rich culture and Mediterranean cuisine.

A few months later I was recruited by newly-launched Renaissance Cruises. My first contract lasted six months in the islands of French Polynesia. In 1999 I began working for Silversea Cruises–it was a milestone in my career. Silversea, whose ships carry no more than 350 guests, is the highest rated small luxury liner in the world. I started there as sous chef in charge of the gourmet restaurant Terrace Café. The highly-trained staff of chefs included French, Austrians, Italians, and Japans–so every day I learned to cook something different.

I returned to London in 2002 to help friend Frank Garranger open his French-Mediterranean restaurant, appropriately named Garranger’s. I spent an additional year cruising around the world with Silversea. One night in November, 2004–under the Caribbean stars–I met a beautiful girl from Chicago. We began dating long-distance. Tracey changed my life forever.

In January, 2006 my brother Angelo and I bought Trattoria Sant’Antonio, a 200-seat restaurant near our home town in Italy. Trattoria Sant’Antonia is a piece of history in the small village of Roccafranca; it was run by one family for over 90 years. We revitalized the restaurant by modernizing the equipment, expanding and redecorating the space, and enhancing the traditional Northern-Italian menu; but, no tradition was lost as I carried on making Trattoria Sant’Antonio’s famous casoncelli (ravioli) and thin, wood-oven pizzas. I loved running my own restaurant and it became a tremendous success quickly, but I missed Tracey.

A year later I moved to Chicago and we got married on January 31, 2007 in Kauai, Hawaii. What a wonderful journey it has been! I hope that you will be a part of my future in America. I look forward to sharing my passion for food and life with you by catering your event, providing private chef services, or conducting a group cooking demonstration. Buon appetito! -Isacco