Born in Alba in 1987, Gabriele Boffa became resident chef of Locanda Sant’Uffizio Enrico Bartolini in March 2018. He gained a first Michelin star after just 234 days and a second in the 2023 Guide (announced November 2022), marrying Langhe-Monferrato produce with techniques learned in world-class kitchens.
Raised among the vineyards of the Langhe, Boffa learned to cook beside his grandmothers and studied at the Alba hospitality school. At 17 he joined Guido under Ugo Alciati, laying the foundations for a career devoted to Piedmontese flavours.
Seeking broader horizons, he staged at Combal.Zero, then moved abroad: Mugaritz (Spain), La Grenouillère (France), Ledoyen (France) and Pujol (Mexico). These posts honed his feel for fermentation, wild herbs and precise vegetable cookery—skills he now interprets through a Piedmontese lens.
In 2017 he accepted his first head-chef role at the Castello di Guarene Relais & Châteaux, before multi-starred chef Enrico Bartolini recruited him to helm Locanda Sant’Uffizio in Cioccaro di Penango the following March. The restaurant earned its first Michelin star on 24 March 2018—just 234 days after opening.
Boffa’s steady refinement brought a second star at the Michelin Guide Italia ceremony on 8 November 2022 (2023 edition), placing Locanda Sant’Uffizio among the country’s elite.
Set in a former monastery orangery, the dining room now showcases tasting menus that balance memory and innovation: local hazelnuts with 45-month Parmesan risotto, reinterpretations of agnolotti del plin, and seasonal game enlivened with Monferrato wines. His cooking, the Michelin inspectors note, “celebrates Italian biodiversity while remaining faithful to the territory.”
Committed to giving back, Boffa leads an international brigade and collaborates with nearby farmers and winemakers, positioning Monferrato as a living classroom for young cooks who stage at the restaurant each season.
