Becoming a Chef: From Potato Peeler to 2-Michelin-Star Executive Chef Ft. Giacomo Zani

Author: Phil & Eric
Published: Sun 10 Aug 2025
Episode Link: https://rss.com/podcasts/potluckfoodtalks/2159195

🎙️ EP146 – From Canteens to Michelin Stars – Giacomo Zani’s career didn’t start in gleaming fine-dining kitchens. It started with peeling potatoes for 400 in a pharmaceutical company cafeteria. Now he’s Executive Chef at Amelia in San Sebastián, running a 2-Michelin-star kitchen and helping launch restaurants from Bangkok to Miami. This is about passion, discipline, and saying yes before you’re ready.

🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:

🇮🇹 Florence Beginnings – From canteen life to chasing flavor

🍝 Italian Roots – Grandmothers, Bolognese, and milk debates

🏨 Luxury Standards – Four Seasons and the precision omelet

🌍 Global Openings – Bangkok, Barcelona, Miami & more

🍣 Product First – From kinome leaves to Chawanmushi 💡 Mentorship & Discipline – Why only the best touch the protein

👨‍🍳 Career Advice – For the 20-year-old who thinks it’s too late

🥖 Basque & Beyond – Breaking the local culinary lineage

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