Antonio Cicero

Chef Antonio Cicero was born into a large matriarchal family. His journey into the world of cooking was far from typical and the young Antonio was in part obsessed with motorbikes, but more significantly, focused on the world outside the family home and how elements and people connect. He went on to study Philosophy at the University of Catania, where he immersed himself in the work of Aristotle and Immanuel Kant. It was here too that he first started to cook for himself. However, it was his obsession with his motorbike and the economics of maintaining it that forced him into the world of restaurants and he began working in a local agriturismo on weekends. He joined forces with some student friends and opened a small restaurant in the beachside village of Scoglitti. He opened Il Consiglio di Sicilia in 2008, specialising in seafood and local dishes. In 2010, international food journalist Roberta Corradin entered his life, when she came to review Il Consiglio di Sicilia. A year later, the couple were married.