Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend
Participating Chefs
Italo Besseghini
Italian Culinary Specialist
Academia Barilla
Italo Besseghini grew up in the Valtellina region of Northern Italy and it was there that his dedication to food began. As a child, he worked on his grandfather’s dairy farm where he learned the art of making cheese, wine and cured meats. After moving to the United States, his love of food continued to grow and he began a career in the food industry working as a chef in several restaurants in Upstate New York. In 1990, he opened Sassella, an upscale restaurant in Amherst, NY. After retiring his chef’s hat, Italo decided to get into the importing and distributing side of the business. In 1999, he began Spriana Imports, where he takes great pride in introducing the best of Italy to the American market, including products from Academia Barilla. He currently resides in Amherst, NY.
Lorenzo Boni
Executive Chef
Barilla America – Chicago, IL
Chef Lorenzo Boni grew up with a passion for Italian food in Bologna, Italy. While studying culinary arts, Lorenzo traveled extensively throughout Italy, immersing himself in the regional cuisines of Italy. He then traveled to the United States, where he served as the Second Chef at the San Domenico Restaurant in New York City. After working in New York, he returned to Italy and opened his own restaurant, Osteria du Madon, in Bologna. In 1999, Lorenzo joined Barilla at their world headquarters in Parma. In 2003, he was promoted to Executive Chef for Barilla America, returning once again to the U.S. In his current role, Lorenzo is responsible for product and recipe development, as well as managing the culinary execution of all Barilla sponsored events. He resides in Evanston with his wife, Beata, his daughter, Valentina, and his dog, Daisy.
Dominick Dardano
Executive Chef
Casa de Pasta, Canandaigua
Chef Dominick trained at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, NY. In the 15 years since then, he has cooked at a multitude of restaurants, and currently owns Casa de Pasta. When Chef Dominick was a little boy, his parents, Ida and Saverio from Taverna, Italy, stood him on a chair in their kitchen so he could cook with them. Their influence can be tasted in his recipes at Casa de Pasta.
Paul Maytan
Executive Chef
Mario’s via Abruzzi Restaurant, Rochester
With over 30 years experience in hotels and restaurants, Chef Maytan is the Executive Chef at Mario’s Italian Steakhouse in Rochester, New York and has worked there since 1996. The restaurant has a New York City style steakhouse menu fused with a contemporary adaptation of the cuisine of Central Italy. Before coming to Mario’s Italian Steakhouse, Chef Maytan worked as a Sous Chef at the highly touted Arizona Inn in Tucson (Continental / Southwestern cuisine) and was the restaurant and banquet Sous Chef for Hyatt corporation for five years. He headed-up two of their Northern Italian theme restaurant outlets and was the saucier for all outlets of the 1,200 room Hyatt Atlanta. He is passionate about cooking Italian: “Simple. It is my ongoing desire to eat Italian food that keeps me interested and inspired.”
Chef Paul Maytan authored “The Mario’s Via Abruzzi Cookbook,” featuring 45 recipes from and inspired by the cuisine of the Abruzzi region and is currently working on a second book, “Mario's 100 Best Recipes,” due out by the end of 2008.
Stephen Kingston
Executive Chef
Rochester Institute of Technology
Brick City Catering & Café
Hailing from the Rochester, NY area, Stephen began his culinary journey in privately owned restaurants. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University in 1999 with honors. After college, Stephen worked in Cape Cod, MA as a private chef. He then started with Hyatt Hotel in Key West, FL. Stephen also worked at the Hotel properties in Pittsburgh, PA, and Cambridge, MA. Stephen was selected to help with the 2006 Super Bowl parties in Dearborn, MI. In May of 2007, Stephen became the Executive Chef at Rochester Institute of Technology’s Dining Services Brick City Catering & Café where his culinary talents tease the taste buds of students, facility and staff. His experience has brought new flavors and trends to Brick City Catering and Café as campus dining moves to new levels.
Mark Makovec
Executive Chef
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Mark, first in his class at the New England Culinary Institute, cooked in 5-star restaurants like Chicago’s Ritz Carlton before becoming Executive Chef at Wegmans Canandaigua store. He’s now helping develop the curriculum for employees and customers at Wegmans Menu Cooking School. Part of the Wegmans Meals Team, Mark is also involved with food styling for the Menu magazine and genuinely enjoys teaching and sharing his passion of cooking and food.
Steven Miller
Senior Executive Chef of Board Operations
Cornell University
Steven Miller started his restaurant career at the age of 15 as a dishwasher, but within a few years worked his way up to a Sous Chef position. He made a couple of moves throughout the country, working in La Jolla, CA and Las Vegas, NV before returning to Lucetellis Restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Steven took a position at Cornell University in Campus Dining Services and has held a number of positions. In 2007, he was promoted to Senior Executive Chef of Board Operations for all of Dining Services. Chef Miller participated in the 2003 Bronze Culinary Challenge, 2004 Silver Medal Culinary Challenge, 2005 Bronze Medal Culinary Challenge, and is a Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Administrator. He is also enrolled in the Master Chefs Program at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.