Executive Chef, Caldesi in Marylebone

Mattia is from Brescia, in Northern Italy.

He grew up surrounded by hospitality; it was “a family affair”. His grandfather ran a well-known restaurant in the city centre while his grandmother owned 4 cafés inside the main historical theatre located in the city centre. And to complete the full culinary background, his father works for a winery that produces. Growing up in this inspiring environment led Mattia to discover his passion, interwoven with his DNA.

After graduating at culinary school, he realised that to be complete as chef he had to master all of the culinary arts so went to work in a patisserie and then in a delicatessen/butchery. Driven by his curiosity for food, he decided to explore further than the Italian borders by moving to the most multicultural city of all, London, with his childhood sweetheart, now his wife.

He began his London career at 5* luxury hotel The Wellesley, where he started as Pastry and Breakfast Chef before becoming the Head Chef. Furthermore, he worked for other restaurants: Vivo in Angel followed by Chucs.

Mattia joined Caldesi in Marylebone in 2019 as Head Chef and has stayed ever since becoming the Executive Head Chef. He says his first impression when he came to eat there was that he had found “a proper Italian restaurant!”. He talks about the restaurant as a corner of Italy and takes delight in sourcing great Italian products such as the creamiest burrata from Puglia and his favourite Coppa ham from Emilia-Romagna, and he only uses Caldesi extra-virgin olive oil in the kitchen.

Last but not least he is proud to has built strong human connections with his brigade, a loyal team who have worked alongside him for years and share his commitment to excellence.

Favourite dish
It’s very hard to me to choose between my “children” but if I must, it would be ravioli because it is rooted to my childhood memories when I used to make homemade pasta with my family. I used all my creativity and experience that keep developing new flavours such as Mortadella and pistachio ravioli with butter and sage sauce and braised leek and balsamic reduction.

Favourite place in Italy
A place where everything is balanced: Tuscany, in the heart of Italy where mountains meet sea and countryside in a perfect mix enriched by unique history and art.

Which 3 dinner guests would you invite to a fantasy dinner party
Anthony Bourdain, Gualtiero Marchesi and my grandfather (as he died before I had the chance to cook for him).

My journey with the Caldesi family began in 2019, when I first met Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi and the team.

Since then, I’ve been proud to be part of the Caldesi family, initially starting as Restaurant General Manager, where I had the pleasure of meeting many of our regular guests—relationships that continue to this day.

Over the years, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for Italian cuisine and tradition, embracing Giancarlo Caldesi’s Low Carb philosophy, which offers a fresh perspective on classic dishes. Today, as Group Sales and Communication Manager, I combine my hospitality experience with a passion for creating memorable experiences, ensuring every guest enjoys both the food and the story behind it.

Creative Director, Author

Renowned cookbook author, chef, recipe creator and teacher, Katie Caldesi developed a passion for cooking as a child.

Originally trained as a theatre designer, her career shifted in the mid-nineties when restaurateur Giancarlo Caldesi commissioned Katie to paint a large-scale fresco. Their meeting sparked a professional and life partnership that continues to this day. The Caldesis’ eponymous Marylebone Italian restaurant Caldesi in Marylebone opened its doors in 2002, they launched a cookery school, La Cucina Caldesi, two years later, followed by Caldesi in Campagna in Bray in 2007. In 2006 Return to Tuscany was aired, a BBC2 documentary about the couple opening a cookery school in London and Tuscany and getting married, you can see it here.

Since the series Katie has frequently been in the press for culinary and travel advice, been a guest-chef at countless food festivals and appeared on Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch. She regularly gives talks on food for health and food history.

Katie has written 19 cookbooks and recently completed an MA in food anthropology. She and Giancarlo are particularly well known for their series of low-carb cookbooks aimed squarely at type 2 diabetics after Giancarlo was diagnosed himself and put the disease into remission through healthy eating. They host an annual wellness retreat in Türkiye and Katie founded The Good Kitchen Table link to open in new page, promoting healthy eating and wellness through recipes, science and lifestyle suggestions.

Favourite Italian recipe
Roast quail on saffron and Porcini risotto

Favourite Italian place
Our friends Livia and Nello’s smallholding in rural Tuscany

Name three fantasy dinner guests
Guy Garvey from Elbow (only if he sings to me while I cook for him), Dan Snow (so he can tell us about the period of history that my dishes are from) and Alan Davies (to make us laugh if it all goes wrong when I am distracted by Guy and Dan!).

Food writer and tutor, La Cucina Caldesi

Carmela is of Southern Italian descent, born in Bedford.

She currently lives happily in a small Northamptonshire village with her four children and husband. She loves to share her love of Italian food and is an Italian cookery author of 5 books, specialising in the art of pasta. Carmela makes wonderfully coloured and patterned pasta – techniques she developed years before it was popular. “She is a trend leader in her sphere and it is an inspiration to spend the morning learning from her” says Katie Caldesi.

Southern Italian Family Cooking, A Passion for Pasta, Northern & Central Italian Family Cooking, How to make Pasta and Pasta Fresca.
Carmela works as a food writer, cookery tutor, demonstrator, cook, recipe developer, specialist pastaia and runs successful supper clubs and events sponsored by Filippo Berio Olive Oil company at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.

Carmela is a proud ambassador for both the Filippo Berio Olive Oil brand and the pasta tool company Marcato. Carmela is currently holding demonstrations in Harrods. Check out her website for a full list of events, classes and much more!

Carmela is now working on her sixth book entitled ‘The Italian Vegetarian’.

• Favourite Italian recipe:
  Lasagna layered with boiled eggs, meat sugo, mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano. NO bechamel sauce.
• Favourite place:
  Anywhere in Italy really, however I do adore’ Polignano a Mare’ in Puglia.
• Name three fantasy dinner guests:
  It’s incredibly difficult to choose only three but I would probably go with an eclectic mix of Pellegrino Artusi, the famous Italian food writer, Elvis Presley because he will always be the king of rock and roll and Sophia Loren because she will forever be an Italian icon.

Food writer and tutor, La Cucina Caldesi

Ursula has been teaching for twenty years up and down the country and abroad. She has written seventeen cookery books, as well as writing for numerous food magazines including Taste Italia, American Gourmet and Olive.

Ursula feels if you love something it is instinctive to share and this is why she relishes teaching so much. She finds pasta making fun to teach as well as real Italian bread with crust and crumb and flavour; and adores nothing better than teaching her students how to make an array of national and regional breads from ciabatta and focaccia to volcanic stromboli.

• Favourite Italian recipe:
  Freshly made pappardelle with mushrooms & truffle
• Favourite place:
  Minori, full of childhood memories
• Name three fantasy dinner guests:
  TBC