Carlo Cracco
Italian chef and TV host with a Michelin-starred Milan restaurant.
Carlo Cracco (born 8 October 1965) is an Italian chef and television host. His Milan restaurant, Cracco in Galleria, sits inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and has earned three forks from Gambero Rosso, one Michelin star, and a spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Cracco studied hospitality at the Pellegrino Artusi institute in Recoaro Terme. After graduating, he worked at Da Remo in Vicenza. In 1986 he began collaborating with chef Gualtiero Marchesi in Milan, then worked at La Meridiana resort in the province of Savona. He spent three years in France studying French cuisine. Returning to Italy, he became chef at Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, which held three Michelin stars. Marchesi then invited him to help open L’Albereta in Lombardy, where Cracco worked as chef for three years. He later worked at Le Clivie in Piedmont, earning a Michelin star. The Stoppani family, owners of the Peck marketplace in Milan, asked him to open Cracco Peck, where he remains executive chef. Since 2007 the restaurant has been called simply Cracco; in 2018 it moved to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and was renamed Cracco in Galleria. Gambero Rosso gave it three forks, and in 2007 la Repubblica named it one of the world’s 50 best restaurants. In February 2014 he opened a bistro in Milan called Carlo e Camilla in segheria, housed in a former sawmill.
In 2011 Cracco began hosting MasterChef Italia alongside Bruno Barbieri, Joe Bastianich, and, from 2015, Antonino Cannavacciuolo. Since 2012 he has served as president of the nonprofit Maestro Martino. He appeared at the 2013 Sanremo Music Festival to introduce singer Annalisa. He also hosted the first two seasons of Hell’s Kitchen Italia on Sky Uno. In 2019 he received the America Award from the Italy–USA Foundation. In December 2021 he designed a menu for business and premium classes on the Milan–Paris Frecciarossa train. The €18 menu drew criticism for poor quality, which Cracco defended in the press.
Cracco has two daughters, Sveva and Irene, from his first marriage. He is married to Rosa Fanti, with whom he has two sons, Pietro and Cesare.
- born
- 8 October 1965
- field
- Chef, television personality
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Cracco in Galleria restaurant, MasterChef Italia host
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1965-10-08
- Birth Place
- Creazzo, Veneto, Italy
- Occupation
- Chef
- Education
- Pellegrino Artusi
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Carlo Cracco attended the Pellegrino Artusi institute of hospitality management in Recoaro Terme. After graduating, he worked at the restaurant Da Remo in Vicenza. In 1986 he began collaborating with fellow chef Gualtiero Marchesi in Milan. He later worked at a resort restaurant in the province of Savona, then lived in France for three years to study French culinary arts. Returning to Italy, he became chef at the Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, which was awarded three Michelin stars. He then collaborated again with Marchesi on the opening of L'Albereta in Lombardy, where he worked as chef for three years. He later worked at Le Clivie in Piedmont, an existing restaurant where he earned a Michelin star. Cracco then accepted an invitation from the Stoppani family to open Cracco Peck in Milan, where he continues as Executive Chef; the restaurant was renamed Cracco in 2007 and moved to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in 2018, becoming Cracco in Galleria. In February 2014, he founded a bistro in Milan called Carlo e Camilla in segheria, named after the disused sawmill it occupies.
Reader's Guide
Carlo Cracco's significance lies in his sustained presence in high-end Italian gastronomy and his crossover into popular television. His restaurant Cracco in Galleria has earned top ratings from Gambero Rosso (three forks) and a Michelin star, and has been recognized among the World's 50 Best Restaurants. His career includes training under Gualtiero Marchesi and working at the two-Michelin-starred Enoteca Pinchiorri. Since 2011, he has hosted MasterChef Italia, and he also hosted Hell's Kitchen Italia. He served as president of the nonprofit Maestro Martino from 2012. In 2019 he received the America Award of the Italy–USA Foundation. His menu for the Milan–Paris Frecciarossa train, launched in December 2021, drew criticism for poor quality, which he defended in the press. His legacy combines Michelin-starred cooking with a broad media profile, making him a recognizable figure in Italian food culture.
Did You Know?
- Cracco's restaurant Cracco in Galleria is located in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.
- He hosted MasterChef Italia starting in 2011 alongside Bruno Barbieri and Joe Bastianich.
- In 2014 he opened a bistro called Carlo e Camilla in segheria in a former sawmill.
- He designed a menu for the Milan–Paris Frecciarossa train that was criticized for poor quality.
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