A Lazio region chef and co-owner of Mogano in Formello, near Rome, Matteo Faenza translates the know-how of his family's Ritual Lab brewery into signature dishes, weaving hop notes, Asian fermentations and Latin American memories; in 2025 he won the title of EmergenteChef.
Born in 1994, he grew up among the vats of the brewery opened by brothers Giovanni and Valerio a few kilometers from Rome. After graduating from the hotel school in Caprarola, a book signed by Gastón Acurio ignited his curiosity for South America: at nineteen he flew to Lima to Pedro Miguel Schiaffino's workshop, then landed at Quique Dacosta in Dénia and Nerua in Bilbao, crowning the journey with a master's degree at the Basque Culinary Center. The Chilean experience at Rodolfo Guzmán's Boragó teaches him Andean foraging and ancestral cooking, while a return to Italy at Retrobottega refines vegetable creativity.
In 2021 he opens wide the doors of Mogano, five tables carved out of the former Metamorfosi restaurant: a passage-kitchen introduces the Hop Infusion aperitif, a prelude to menus that blend herbs from the Lazio garden, hazelnut miso developed with Carlo Nesler and oak-smoked cuts of meat. Beer is not mere pairing but an identity ingredient, from the brews in sourdough to the brisket braised in Bock.
The philosophy rests on three axes: proximity, experimentation and dialogue with the drinker. Faenza devises three tasting routes-Walk In, Latian Contamination, Inspiration-plus a Chef's Table where he defines live dishes with the guest, dissolving the distance between brigade and room. The grilled cardoncello on spinach mousse, almond milk and hazelnut oil demonstrates the desire to “dress beer in gastronomic elegance.”
In 2025, recognition as EmergenteChef certifies his impact on the scene as under-30, while the Michelin Guide praises his ability to hybridize global flavors and Italian identity. At the same time, he collaborates with Ritual Lab to create spontaneously fermented Saisons designed for pairing and holds workshops on malting and leavening open to students at the Formello Hotel Institute.
Outside the restaurant he pedals the trails of the Sorbo Valley “to inhale pine resin and convert it into aromatic ideas,” convinced that culinary thinking begins in the open air.
