Salento-born and Piedmontese by adoption, Massimiliano Prete is the pizzaiolo-pastry chef behind Sestogusto (Turin, Tre Spicchi Gambero Rosso 2025) and MP Lab in Saluzzo. Awarded Best Dessert Menu 2024, he embodies the triad ‘Patience, Precision, Poetry’.
Born in Salento, Prete churned out his first pizzas at the age of 15, then left Apulia to work in Asti and later in Saluzzo: here he combined his pizza counter with experience in pastry making, refining rigour and leavening techniques.
In 2011 he had the opportunity to take over the Teatro del Gusto in Saluzzo and launch his own high-hydration “evolutionary pizza”. In 2016 Massimiliano inaugurated Gusto Madre, a contemporary pizzeria right in the centre of Alba, the heart of the Langhe and kingdom of Piedmontese culinary excellence. In 2018 he landed in Turin with Sestogusto in Via Mazzini. The Gambero Rosso Pizzerie d'Italia guide awarded Sestogusto the only Tre Spicchi gourmet restaurant in the city.
Its philosophy revolves around multi-step doughs (low temperature chariots, mix of self-produced evolutive grains) and toppings with a Piedmontese flavour: the iconic Margherita Extravergine, the Vitello Tonnato Pizza and the Pizza Poker, a four-slice tasting.
His sweet-vegetable combination “Sweet Pizza” becomes a case study at Sigep.
At the same time, Prete founded MP Lab - Massimiliano Prete Lab: a research laboratory on fermentation, evolutionary blending flours and waste reduction (recycling spent yeast into toppings). He holds masterclasses for Cast Alimenti, Alma and Sigep Academy, collaborating with starred chefs on ‘Pizza & Fine Dining’ formats.
