Luca Villa is a young and talented pastry chef from Lombardy, renowned for his passion and dedication to the art of pastry. With a prestigious background and high-level training, Villa has brought his expertise to the Imàgo restaurant in Rome. His culinary philosophy, which combines technique, precision, creativity, and the orderliness typical of pastry arts, has earned him significant recognition, making him one of the most promising pastry chefs of his generation.
The Biography
Luca Villa was born in 1995 in Lombardy, Italy, and from a young age, he showed a strong passion for cooking, leading him to enroll in culinary school. During his studies, he worked at the Morelli restaurant in Seregno, where he began to develop his technical skills and creativity.
After graduating, Villa continued his training, moving first to Monza and then to Brusaporto as a pastry chef at the Da Vittorio restaurant. Here, he had the opportunity to further refine his skills, learning the importance of precision and innovation in pastry. A decisive moment in his career came when he met Jordi Roca, to whom Villa bravely handed his resume. Two weeks later, he was called to Girona to work at the renowned El Celler de Can Roca.
For nearly four years, Villa worked at El Celler de Can Roca, initially as a pastry chef and later in the bakery, dealing with bread and leavened products. During this time, he improved his technical skills and developed a deep passion for pastry arts. "The creativity of Jordi Roca, whom I consider my mentor, was fundamental to my growth. He opened up a world of flavor details and a different philosophy of plated desserts," Villa recounts.
Enchanted by Rome, Luca Villa arrived at Imàgo in 2023 after a brief stint in Piedmont at Antica Corona Reale. His friendship with Chef Antonini was crucial for his arrival at Imàgo, as the Wirth family invested in Antonini's vision of having a dedicated high-level pastry department. "Pastry remains the most challenging aspect of a kitchen, where few invest in both materials and people, without realizing that dessert is a crucial part of a restaurant's menu," explains Antonini.
Although Villa may appear shy and reserved, he hides a determination, energy, and clear ideas. He considers high pastry an art, made of ideas and technique, where dessert must be a complete experience. "There must always be a philosophy and thought behind a dessert, nothing is random," emphasizes Luca. An example of his creativity is the dessert "Peach and Amaretto," a classic from Piedmont transformed into a fake peach filled with different textures, with panna cotta and amaretto ice cream at the base.
Luca Villa is a key figure for Imàgo, capable of translating, with Chef Antonini, classic Italian cuisine into fine dining dishes where the centrality of the ingredient emerges. A testament to his talent, Villa has received significant accolades, including the title of Best Young Pastry Chef from Identità Golose and being listed among the 16 Italian Pastry Chefs in the Gambero Rosso Guide.
