Brescian-born chef Alessandro Pavoni blasted into Sydney's dining scene in 2009 with his first restaurant venture, northern Italian gem Ormeggio at the Spit.

He brings with him a passion for food that developed at the age of 10 when he sampled a three kilogram stuffed hen his grandmother cooked. In a heroic feat, he managed to eat it all by himself. His mouth still waters when he thinks of it and the experience helped inspire him to undertake training at the Art, Science and Technological Centre of Food in Brescia and the Caterina de Medici Hospitality School.

Alessandro began his career in Brescia, in Italy’s north, working at Carlo Magno with the famous Iginio Massari and Giuseppe Maffioli. After working in various Michelin starred venues such as La Rotonde in France and the two Michelin-starred Villa Fiordaliso on Lake Garda, Alessandro broadened his culinary horizons working in Bermuda at the famous Restaurant Lido before moving to Sydney permanently in 2003. He assumed the role of Executive Chef at Park Hyatt 2005, managing a team of over 30 chefs before finally realising his dream of opening his own restaurant at the Spit, Mosman in 2009.

Omeggio at the Spit was a most welcome addition to the North Shore dining scene and was quickly recognised as one of Sydney’s premier waterside dining destinations. It was awarded a coveted Chef Hat in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide after only 9 months, had two Glasses awarded by Gourmet Traveller to its unique wine list, and is also listed in Gourmet Traveller’s Top 100 Australian restaurants.

Contemporary flavours, techniques and textures are the focus at Ormeggio, with Alessandro exploring for himself the current Northern Italian offerings.

The look and feel of Ormeggio is naturally nautical and coastal – with great quality produce and contemporary Northern Italian flavours. Given our striking location and dockside setting at D’Albora Marina, and the influence taken from the lakes region of Northern Italy, we do a lot of beautiful seafood as well as the game meats and polenta that my region is famous for. Our aim is to provide a contemporary Northern Italian dining experience in an exclusive Australian setting.”

As well as this passion for modern and unique cuisine, Alessandro is passionate about safeguarding Italian culinary culture and is a member of CIRA, the Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia - a group of Sydney Italian restaurateurs proud of their heritage and committed to this cause. He is proud of his northern Italian traditions and loves to share his knowledge and experiences with his guests.

“I love to embrace traditional recipes that have been handed down through the families of my region – and in particular my grandmother, who was a tremendous cook.”

Alessandro recently opened his second restaurant, a more informal venue on Level 6, Westfield Sydney.This will give him an opportunity to showcase these traditional recipes.

Alessandro lives on the northern beaches with his Australian wife, Anna. In his spare time he can be found long boarding on one of the many local beaches, cruising on his Harley or cooking up a storm in his backyard for friends and family.

Alessandro’s Bio