Andrea Fenoglio is one of the most representative chefs on the south tyrolean culinary scene. At the helm of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Sissi, he offers cuisine that reflects his cultural roots and international influences, all in a cozy, informal setting.
Andrea Fenoglio was born in Mondovì, in the province of Cuneo, the son of a piedmontese father and an austrian mother. At the age of eight months, the family moved to Merano, where Andrea grew up and attended the local schools. His passion for cooking manifested itself early and led him to enroll in the Merano hotel school. Here he had the opportunity to train under masters such as Hans Hellrigl.
In 1991, when he was only 23 years old, he decided to go out on his own and opened the Restaurant Sissi on Via Plankenstein in Merano. The restaurant, located in an art nouveau building that once housed a shop and a tailor's shop, is characterized by a quiet and welcoming ambience that reflects the chef's philosophy that to eat well, you have to feel comfortable.
Eager to broaden his culinary horizons, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, visiting renowned restaurants in France, Spain and the United Kingdom. He was particularly fascinated by the spanish cuisine of the 1990s, which was characterized by greater creative freedom than the Italian tradition. His meeting with Ferran Adrià and Jordi Vilà of Alkimia in Barcelona had a profound influence on his gastronomic approach, pushing him to experiment with new techniques and flavors.
In 1998, the restaurant Sissi moved to its current location in Via Galileo Galilei, a place with a lot of meaning, since it is the same place where he learned the basics during his training. The new location allowed the restaurant to grow in prestige. In 2009, Sissi was awarded its first Michelin star, an accolade that it has steadily maintained over the years.
Fenoglio's dishes reflect her piedmontese and austrian roots, enriched by her international experience, and the atmosphere she has created wins over guests, who always feel at home thanks to the extremely attentive yet discreet service.
