At Nomina – Cucina Ludica inside the Roma Luxus Hotel in Rome, Andrea Fusco signs a Roman-forward menu built on precise grilling and recognisable flavours. Earlier, his restaurant Giuda Ballerino! was awarded one Michelin star by the MICHELIN Guide (Michelin) in 2010.
Born and raised in Rome and Lazio, he often frames his start in hospitality as a twist of fate: in an interview, he recounts taking the wrong bus and getting off in front of a hotel school—an accident that became a direction. Winning his first competition soon after clarified the path: kitchen work as a craft of ingredients, balance and palate, without masking the food’s natural identity.
Curiosity then pushed him beyond Italy. The same interview traces professional experiences across Spain, Argentina and Japan, as an early way to absorb different culinary grammars while keeping Rome as his anchor point. That openness later becomes visible in his preference for clear, “readable” flavours and technique used as a tool rather than a display.
From 1998, multiple profiles describe him as chef-patron of Giuda Ballerino!, a project that fused dining with a pop-culture imagination: the name itself nods to a catchphrase from the Italian comic Dylan Dog, and the restaurant’s narrative leans on the idea of “play” at the table—serious cooking, without stiffness.
By the mid-2000s, he begins to appear consistently in major Italian guide coverage; later, Giuda Ballerino! earns one Michelin star in 2010 (award of the MICHELIN Guide – Michelin), a milestone also recalled in national food press.
A key shift comes with the move from the south-east outskirts of Rome to the city centre: in 2015, Corriere’s Cook/Dito nel Piatto describes the Michelin star “travelling” with him to the rooftop setting at Sina Bernini Bristol, changing the scale of the operation and bringing his cooking into a more theatrical, hotel-rooftop context.
Alongside restaurant work, he is cited as a member of CHIC – Charming Italian Chef and, in later years, he broadens his activity into formats that sit between dining and hospitality. In 2019, sector press reports him as executive/corporate chef for AG Foodies (AG Group), linked to projects such as Diana’s Place and the group’s terraces.
In 2022, he returns to the spotlight in Rome with a Japanese-Italian dialogue at Taki Off, describing his approach not as “fusion” but as an encounter of techniques and products—an idea echoed by Italian newswire coverage.
The most recent chapter is Nomina – Cucina Ludica (opened in 2024) on the ground floor of the Roma Luxus Hotel, owned by Roberta Battista and Francesca Neri. Here, “play” becomes a declared posture: lighter tone, attention to health and recognisable ingredients, without giving up the fine-dining hand. His line is explicit: “If a guest doesn’t remember the dish, there’s a problem—then it’s become an exercise in style.”
