Born in '95, leading the "Primo Restaurant" in Lecce, Solaika Marrocco is Italy's youngest MICHELIN-starred chef. But there are more recognitions of her talent: she has already won awards from Gambero Rosso, Identità Golose, and the MICHELIN Guide. With determination, passion, and sensitivity, she represents a promising force in Italian women-led gastronomy, further evidenced by her induction into the Atelier des Grandes Dames de la Maison de Champagne Veuve Clicquot.
Born in 1995 and raised in Gallipoli, in Salento, Solaika Marrocco adored accompanying her mother for grocery shopping and watching her cook with love since childhood. At 10, she took her first steps in a bakery, and by 14, she already knew that becoming a chef would be her calling. Without hesitation, she attended the catering school in Santa Cesarea Terme, and after graduation, embarked on her professional journey, primarily working in restaurants and events across Apulia. She continued to independently study culinary techniques along the way.
She then joined "Primo Restaurant" in Lecce, becoming the chef in 2017. It was in that same year that she received her first recognition of talent, the Birra Moretti Gran Cru Award, for her beer-glazed Turcinieddhi with orange onion marmalade, critimi in tempura, and hop infusion. She was the first (also very young) woman to win the competition.
In 2018, she became a part of the Atelier des Grandes Dames de la Maison de Champagne Veuve Clicquot network and participated in the Identità Golose event "The Human Factor: a feminine perspective." That same year, Gambero Rosso awarded "Primo Restaurant" with one forks, which became two in the years to follow, and in 2019, the establishment received a mention in the Red Guide.
The accolades for Solaika kept pouring in: in 2020, she won the San Pellegrino Emerging Chef award and was included in Gambero Rosso's list of the top 30 under 30. A year later, she appeared as a guest on Masterchef Italy and earned the title of Best Female Chef 2021 from Identità Golose.
In 2022, she won the Young Chef Award from the MICHELIN Guide, which awarded a Star to "Primo Restaurant," making Solaika the youngest MICHELIN-starred chef in Italy.
