Award-winning chef Giancarlo Perbellini, honored with various awards including the Verona Giovani Award 2022, and titles such as Honorary President of the Italian Chefs Federation, is a champion of Italian cuisine both nationally and internationally. Among his various establishments, "Casa Perbellini" in Verona, awarded Two MICHELIN Stars, is the seat of his genius.
Giancarlo Perbellini was born in 1964, in Bovolone, in the province of Verona. From childhood, he was passionate about gastronomy, thanks to his grandfather Ernesto, from whom he learned the art of cooking and pastry, spending numerous hours in the family workshop. The choice of high school could only be one, and after obtaining his hotel school diploma, Giancarlo entered the world of catering. He refined his knowledge in renowned restaurants such as "Marconi," "Desco," and "12 Apostoli," and at "San Domenico" in Imola. He then moved to France, where he worked at the prestigious “Taillevent” and “L’Ambroise” in Paris, and “La Terrasse” in Juan Le Pins, learning from the best chefs in French haute cuisine.
Returning to Verona in 1989, Giancarlo, armed with his experiences, inaugurated the restaurant "Perbellini" in Isola Rizza, and success quickly followed. In 1996, he earned his first MICHELIN star, and in 2002, the second, but his aspiration didn’t allow him to rest on his laurels. With some partners, he opened five establishments in the historic center of Verona - the gourmet pizzeria “Du de Cope,” the traditional inn “Quattro Cuochi,” the seafood-only restaurant “Al Capitan della Cittadella,” the cicchetteria “Tapasotto,” and the pastry shop “Dolce Locanda.” These establishments immediately gained wide approval from customers. 1992 marked another triumph: in Copenhagen, Giancarlo was named "Chef Europeén du poisson," and thus his influence began to extend beyond Italian borders. Then, collaborating with Giovanni Rana, he reached New York, and managing the restaurant "La Locanda" for the DiningConcepts group, also to Hong Kong.
In 2014, Giancarlo left Isola Rizza and relocated to Verona, opening "Casa Perbellini" in the charming Piazza San Zeno in Verona, now “Casa Perbellini – 12 Apostoli.” Recognition came the following year with Two MICHELIN Stars and the Newcomer of the Year nomination from L’Espresso’s Guide to Italian Restaurants, which in 2017 again awarded the restaurant the excellent rating of Four Caps out of Five. Also, in 2015, the "JW Marriott" group called on Perbellini to open and manage the restaurant "Dopolavoro" in the luxurious resort on Isola delle Rose in Venice, which was immediately awarded a MICHELIN star.
Giancarlo served as the President for Italy of the prestigious gastronomic competition Bocuse d’Or from 2010 to 2016, as well as the President of the National Italian Restaurateurs Association. An active member of the Italian Association of Taste Ambassadors and Honorary President of the Italian Chefs Federation, in 2022, he also received the Verona Giovani Award from the Young Group of Apindustria Confimi Verona, further consolidating his position as one of the great masters of Italian gastronomy.
