Maîtres and sommeliers, as vital as chefs, drive the success of restaurants: the best in Italy

If chefs are the stars of the restaurant world, behind the scenes and behind the stoves, those who take the stage every day, i.e. the dining room, are maîtres, sommeliers, and waitstaff. Their work, it is now widely agreed, is worth at least as much as that of the kitchen, if not more, for a restaurant success. Because, as some say, good service can even save a less successful dish, but the opposite is not true. Recognizing the masters of service, “Premio Eccellenza della Sala Italiana” - the “Italian Dining Excellence Award” promoted by “Milano Wine Week” and “Wine List Italia” with the patronage of the Senate of the Republic, was held yesterday in Rome, in the Senate Parliamentary Acts Hall. There, “30 leading figures of Italian front-of-house service were honored, selected as benchmarks of excellence, authority, and contribution to the culture of hospitality in our country. Professionals who perform their work at the highest levels and who have helped build the history of Italian dining, continuing, through their daily presence, to shape its standards. Names that deserve to be known, celebrated, and told, because behind every Michelin-starred restaurant, behind every memorable experience, there is also, and often above all, their signature”.
From Raffaele Alajmo of the three-Michelin-starred Le Calandre in Rubano to Piero Alciati of the Michelin-starred Guidoristorante in Serralunga d’Alba, from Riccardo Andreoli of the two-Michelin-starred Duomo in Ragusa Ibla to Nadia Benech of the Michelin-starred La Ciau del Tornavento in Treiso, from Valentina Bertini of the Langosteria group to Cinzia Boggian of the two-Michelin-starred La Peca in Lonigo, from Mariella Caputo of the Michelin-starred Taverna del Capitano in Marina del Cantone to Ivana Capraro of the two-Michelin-starred Castel Fine Dining in Tirolo, from Rossella Cerea of the three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio in Brusaporto to Maurizio Cerio of the Michelin-starred Don Alfonso in Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, from Luca Costanzi of Mirabelle in Rome to Giuseppe Cupertino of Borgo Egnazia in Savelletri, from Nicola dell’Agnolo of the Michelin-starred Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan to Umberto Giraudo of Romeo in Rome, from Oscar Mazzoleni of the restaurant Al Carroponte in Bergamo to Luca Nicolis, host of the legendary Antica Bottega del Vino in Verona (owned by the Famiglie Storiche, ed), from Sokol Ndreko of Il Principe in Forte dei Marmi to Mariella Organi of the two-Michelin-starred La Madonnina del Pescatore in Senigallia, from Giuseppe Palmieri of the three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena to Nando Papa of the Verdura Resort in Sciacca, from Manuele Pirovano of the two-Michelin-starred D’O in Cornaredo to Leopoldo Ramponi of Al Bersagliere in Verona, from Marco Reitano of the three-Michelin-starred La Pergola at the Rome Cavalieri in Rome to Cristiana Romito of the three-Michelin-starred Reale in Castel di Sangro. And again, from Antonio Santini of the three-Michelin-starred Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio to Michela Scarello of the two-Michelin-starred Agli Amici in Udine, from Alberto Tasinato of L’Alchimia in Milan to Giulia Tavolaro of Maxi in Vico Equense, closing with the dining room masters of two other three-Michelin-starred restaurants, Alessandro Tomberli of Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, and Catia Uliassi of Ristorante Uliassi in Senigallia.
All awards were presented in the presence, among others, of senator Gian Marco Centinaio, deputy vicepresident of the Senate of the Republic, Federico Gordini, President of “Milano Wine Week”, and Marco Reitano, sommelier and co-curator of “Wine List Italia”. Yesterday, there has been also the announcement of the launch of “Roma Wine Week”, scheduled from May 3rd to May 9th, 2027.