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Maurizio Ferrarese, Executive Chef, Four Seasons Hotel Houston

Born and raised in the Piedmont region of Italy, Ferrarese discovered the significance of seasonal peaks at a young age and chose to pursue a culinary career with his parents' encouragement. A semi-professional soccer player in Italy until work and a torn ACL sidelined him for good, Ferrarese hasn't always focused on his native cuisine. "But you can't take that away from me!" he notes with a laugh, adding that his hotel restaurant experience includes cooking Asian in Hawaii and Jewish and Indian in London. 

Maurizio Ferrarese picked the right time to cook Italian at Four Seasons Hotel Houston. The Executive Chef of Quattro and its wine bar, Vinoteca Quattro arrived in the Space City in summer 2010 expecting a slow culinary scene and was happily surprised. Ferrarese's own bright idea was to let quality carry the day at Quattro. He uses main ingredients only at their seasonal peaks and prepares them with as little fuss as possible. "Every chef bases cuisine on their own experiences. My experience is that Italian should be very simple, with few ingredients and straightforward preparation so that each flavor shines through."
Finding the quality he expects so far from the coasts in Houston has been an "interesting challenge," he says. "I'm still figuring out what my suppliers are capable of. In the meantime, I just make sure to get the best out of whatever I have." Buon appetito!