Duilio Valenti is a professional chef with an extensive background in contemporary cuisine, baking and specialty desserts.
Duilio started his career very young with encouragement from his father Jean, a professional sommelier, co-founder of A.I.S. (Associazione Italiana Sommelier) and a key figure in the Italian wine making revolution.
After completing hotelier school in Bormio, Italy, Duilio worked as an apprentice in many Grand-Hotels and restaurants before beginning his first significant position as an assistant pastry chef with Gualtiero Marchesi in Milan, Italy.
Five years later and with a chef tournant’s title, he was engaged by Mr. Mauro Vincenti to be his pastry chef at the glamorous Rex Ristorante in Los Angeles, California, which Duilio departed as a Sous Chef after five years.
Duilio went on to his first executive chef position and opened Villa D’ Este restaurant in Del Mar, California, which quickly became one of San Diego’s top restaurants and was selected as one of the “100 best in southern California.” After this important accomplishment Duilio accepted an offer to partnership in trendy Sorrento Grille in Laguna Beach, California.
Sorrento Grille was named as one of the Top 40 restaurants in the Los Angeles area according to the L.A. Times, as well as one of the “100 best in Southern California.”
Following this fruitful experience, Chef Duilio went to work for “Bice” in New York City, one of the busiest and commercially successful restaurants in the country, where he was the chef for several months before moving to open their San Diego location following a brief stop in Bice Chicago, Illinois.
Duilio was then hired by Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a short term commitment to revitalize the menu in their Italian restaurant “Primavera”, a task that he succeeded before taking charge of the kitchen at the remodeled historic landmark Julius’ Castle in San Francisco, where, quoting The New York Times: “His food doesn’t play second fiddle to the views.”
Finally, Duilio has joined Frantoio, where the award winning olive oils produced by proprietors Roberto and Christine Zecca are a real inspiration to his critically acclaimed innovative and light cooking style. Most recently he has been selected by the San Francisco Chronicle list of the 100 Best Restaurants in the Bay Area.
Christine Zecca’s involvement with Frantoio from its inception in 1995 has been to create a harmonious containing alchemical space, where the sensual world of tastes and aromas are grounded in aesthetically beautiful surroundings.
She is committed to real, organic, local and sustainable farming, with all the health benefits it brings to our earth and each and every patron.
Background: Christine Zecca MA is an artist with a MA from Pacific Graduate Institute 1996. She completed BSR® Leadership Training, Hank Wesselman’s Shared Wisdom Training Program, Sandra Ingerman’s Soul Retrieval training and is currently in her Teacher Training. She works with creativity & the imaginal realm integrating her background of 29 years of Jungian studies & analysis, tai chi, yoga, expressive movement, DreamTending & other forms of embodied dream work with her recent passion for the healing potentials of the shamanic dimension.