Chef Valentino: A Private Chef Striving for Perfection
Chef Valentino has spent 25 years in family and commercial kitchens across Italy and Spain honing his culinary abilities. Today he brings traditional, authentic Italian and Spanish cuisine to the Midwest as a private chef.
For him, his journey to becoming a well-seasoned private chef began as a child, learning how to cook from watching his grandmother prepare meals for his family in Venezuela. When the whole family was together, Valentino’s grandmother would spend the whole day preparing food to feed everyone.
“She’d wake up at around 5 a.m. to start making breakfast for us, and normally I’d go with her. When everything was ready and all the people had finished eating, she’d start with lunch,” he said. “I was always with her seeing her do all the cooking, and I think my love for the kitchen started there.”
Valentino learned his initial cooking skills through his grandmother before spending time in Spain learning new skills through his aunt and working in kitchens there. Seeking more knowledge and a career in cooking, he then moved to Italy and took on a new teacher.
“In Europe, we say the best food comes from the south,” he said. “(My teacher was) from the south of Italy. All the recipes I prepare now, almost all of them I learned there.”
Chef Valentino learned everything he could about Italian cuisine before making his way to the States, bringing his decades of expertise to the Midwest. For him, preparing food is done with great care and deliberation, and is what he truly loves to do.
“If you ask me for a paella, the paella will be the best paella that you can eat in all your life,” he said. “I spend a lot of time on the small things so everything will be perfect, everything has to be perfect and cooked just right.”
Valentino finds great satisfaction in delivering high-quality meals, and is very intentional about his preparation to deliver something memorable.
“I prefer to give you something that one day you can remember that moment and say, ‘oh my God, I’ve gone to Spain and I’ve never eaten a paella like that guy in Chicago or Saugatuck prepared for me.”
In addition to delivering delicious meals, Valentino cares about the entire experience, from the setting and ambiance to the wine paired with the meals. Every dish is prepared with intention and a focus on delivering delight to the senses.
ABOUT CHEF VALENTINO
Chef Valentino is available to create an unforgettable dining experience in your home, a luxury condo corner unit with wrap-around windows in Chicago, a haunted Victorian, and in a charming A-frame in the woods in Saugatuck, MI.
Interested in learning more? Contact us today to tell us what we can create for you.
