Born in Rome in 1974, Alessandro Pipero trained at the Hospitality School, focusing on front-of-house service despite his love for fine dining. After early experience at the Hotel St. Regis and managing the dining room at Antonello Colonna’s restaurant in Labico, he opened “Pipero” in Albano Laziale in 2007. In its first year, he was named Italy’s Best Sommelier by L’Espresso. The restaurant moved to Rome in 2011, earning a Michelin star and the Maître of the Year award from Identità Golose.
In 2017, “Pipero” relocated to Corso Vittorio Emanuele in central Rome, where it continues to hold its Michelin star, now led by talented young chef Ciro Scamardella. Raised in Bacoli, Campania, Ciro’s passion for cooking started with the scents of home. After training at the Hospitality School, he gained experience in various roles, from an Irish Pub to the Città del Gusto in Naples, before moving to Michelin-starred kitchens. He worked with Paolo Barrale at “Marennà,” Antonino Cannavacciuolo at “Villa Crespi,” and Martín Berasategui at “La Sarte.”
Ciro further honed his skills at Anthony Genovese’s “Il Pagliaccio” and as sous-chef with Roy Caceres at “Metamorfosi.” Named Italy’s Emerging Chef in 2016, he joined “Pipero” in 2018, bringing a Mediterranean-inspired, contemporary touch to the kitchen.
The Best Chef: Let’s talk about the service. I think it’s important as you’ve said, it’s not an economic issue, but more about visibility.
Alessandro Pipero: “Yes,I was talking about awarding the service, not for me, but for the service itself. Unfortunately, all guides focus solely on the kitchen, and while I have nothing against that—long live the kitchen—I believe the service is equally important. If we stop valuing it, the profession will lose significance. I’ve noticed there’s no one interested in becoming a maître d’ anymore, and as a restaurant owner and manager, I see the challenge. It’s hard to find good service staff. So, I want to reward the service out of necessity, even selfishly.”
The Best Chef: And do you think that today the level of service has dropped because of this, or do you find it more difficult to maintain a high standard with the new generations?
Alessandro Pipero: No, the level of service in Italy is high right now, but we’re at the limits — stretched thin, and the skilled ones stay at their parent companies. To recreate a skilled professional, you need a ‘cantera,’ as they say in Spain, right? We don’t have that. Hospitality schools are a failure, I say that with a capital F. The people who teach there aren’t qualified, and they don’t do our job. The textbooks are outdated, there are physical education and religious studies classes, but no psychology, which is the most important skill a young person in service needs. So, we really need to start from scratch.
The Best Chef: How do you see the gastronomic scene in Rome? From when it started until today? What has the evolution been like?
Alessandro Pipero: Rome is great, the food is excellent, but like any metropolis, it has its issues, particularly with bureaucracy. This year, with the Jubilee, it’s been a bit of a mixed experience—it raised expectations but didn’t quite deliver. There are more pilgrims than tourists, which isn’t a criticism, but pilgrims have different needs than tourists. As a result, tourists, thinking there are too many pilgrims in Rome, are skipping the city this year and heading to places like Vienna, planning to return in a couple of years. This year, the clientele hasn’t been ideal—not because of classism, but because now they stay in B&Bs for three days, eating pizza one day and cooking in their rooms the next, while sightseeing at places like the Roman Forums. Gastronomy has become more about refueling than having an experience.
The Best Chef: When you created Pipero, what was your mission and vision behind it?
Alessandro Pipero: I didn’t have a specific mission, I just liked the idea. It was tough for me, especially with the service aspect, because there are hardly any restaurants in Italy—maybe one or two—that have named the restaurant after the maître. Most chefs, when they open a place and invest in the service, hire a great maître and sommelier. I had to do the opposite. I was both the maître and sommelier, and I had to invest everything into the kitchen. But then, the focus shifted there, and it became difficult for me. I’ve had all the great chefs, and not least Ciro, who’s amazing. But then tomorrow, Ciro might call and say, ‘Alessandro, I’m opening my own place,’ which he absolutely deserves. And I’ll have to start over because the role of service isn’t properly protected. Do you understand?
The Best Chef: To conclude, why would you suggest to the new generations to pursue a career in service?
Alessandro Pipero: I would suggest starting a career in the restaurant industry because Italy stands on two pillars: food and wine, and its museums. There’s no tourist who comes to Italy without experiencing these two things. That’s why I recommend it—it’s a job rooted in culture. As for the service, I think it’s better because you’re in contact with people, wearing a suit and tie, you get to know the world, you see women. What can I say? Ties and women, that’s a lot. [laughing]
The Best Chef: Well done for making it into The Best Chef – it’s just a knife for now, but I think they will increase. Why did you decide to become a chef? Cook? Was it more spontaneous or was it planned?
Ciro Scamardella: Thank you for being here. To answer your question, honestly, I went to hospitality school because I wasn’t interested in studying. To be completely honest, without any hiding. Then, during my time at hospitality school, my favorite cooking teacher, Corrado Barile, whom I still keep in touch with, said, ‘You’re going to work.’ Exactly in those words, and he sent me off to do my first summer season.
The Best Chef: Where do you find your inspiration?
Ciro Scamardella: Well, all of these ideas essentially come from here, many from discussions between us, among them. As I showed you earlier, we also have a small lab downstairs, which I’ve renamed a bit of a ‘kitchen gym’ because I’ve always dreamed of a place that, within reasonable limits, provides a happy space where anyone who wants to say or show something can do so. We have a folder with the recipes for dishes that make it to the menu and those that don’t, and it’s available to everyone. I’m not interested in keeping secrets, and neither are they. We enjoy doing what we do. So, we have a whiteboard, and sometimes we start sketching out something there, we try one thing, then try another, recipes we’ve standardized that were originally meant for one dish but end up becoming something completely different.
The Best Chef: Do you enjoy learning about new cultures? Do you travel a lot? Which country are you most in love with?
Ciro Scamardella: Mexico. I am deeply in love with Mexico. We are almost on the Equator line, so maybe there’s something that connects us. But their history, their culinary culture, the reverence for the seasons of vegetables, not just the sacrifice of human life but also the sacrifice of vegetables, is something beyond imagination.
The Best Chef: To conclude, we can say that it was excellent, and we recommend you try Pipero, especially since it has been in The Best Chef since 2024 in Dubai. If you want to visit Rome and experience a very direct, Mediterranean cuisine with bold, concrete flavors enhanced by Campanian cooking, then Pipero in Rome is the ideal place.
Facebook: facebook.com/piperoromaristorante/?locale=it_IT
Instagram: instagram.com/ristorante_pipero/
Restaurant Address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 250, 00186 Roma RM
