Born in Nepal, Tanka Sapkota is an internationally acclaimed chef and pizza maker who brought authentic Italian cuisine to the heart of Lisbon with the creation of the acclaimed restaurants Come Prima and Forno d'Oro.
Raised in an upper-caste family, Sapkota initially pursued studies in law to fulfill his father's expectations. However, at the age of 18, he decided to follow his passion for cooking, leaving Nepal to move to Germany. There he began his career in the restaurant industry, as a dishwasher and learning the secrets of Italian gastronomy at Villa Rustica in Stuttgart.
Determined to perfect his skills, Sapkota then moved to Italy, where he attended the prestigious Gambero Rosso school in Rome, distinguishing himself as one of the best students. This experience allowed him to expand his knowledge in the field.
In 1996 during a vacation in Portugal, he noticed that Italian cuisine in the country was still rudimentary. Determined to fill this gap, he settled in Lisbon and, after three years, opened Come Prima in 1999. The restaurant quickly became one of the best in the capital. In 2015 he expanded his business by opening Forno d'Oro, a restaurant offering authentic neapolitan pizza, the latter of which received also official approval from the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association.
A truffle enthusiast, he began using this delicacy in his dishes in 2007, with the aim of "democratizing truffles" in Portugal. In 2023, in collaboration with the University of Évora, he announced the discovery of the portuguese summer truffle, claiming that the country had "better truffles than Italy".
His dedication has led him to receive numerous awards, including the inclusion of Forno d'Oro among the best pizzerias in Europe for 50 Top Pizza: in 2024 it was ranked twelfth and seventy-third worldwide.
