Chef-owner of CURA cucina contemporanea in Davoli Marina, he works at the crossroads of sea and Sila with short-supply-chain products, home-grown gardens, and a daily focus on breadmaking. A personal, ever-evolving cuisine built on memory, travel, and measured technique.
Trained at the Istituto Alberghiero di Soverato, after years in various Italian kitchens Massimo Raimondo chose a self-taught path: no canonical stints in large brigades, but a progressive, rigorous learning that became his style. In 2020 he opened CURA cucina contemporanea in Davoli Marina (CZ) with his wife Noemi Custureri, turning his home town into a daily research workshop. Today the restaurant is a local reference point for an essential, attentive, deeply rooted cuisine.
His vocabulary springs from Calabria, where only a few kilometres separate sea and mountains: day-boat fish, selected meats, citrus fruits, cheeses, vegetables and herbs from the family gardens. Each dish is built from childhood memories, insights from travels across Europe, and a practice of trials and errors that hones textures and flavours without frills. At the table, the aim is product clarity and a clean taste that lets the ingredient speak.
In recent years Raimondo has focused closely on breadmaking: breads, focaccias and large leavened goods made exclusively with a sourdough starter handed down in the family—an integral part of CURA’s identity and service. It’s an ongoing workshop, calibrated through hydrations, maturations and bakes, in tune with seasons and the daily catch.
CURA recognises itself in a contemporary cuisine that respects tradition while looking ahead, free of labels, in dialogue with the local community, with service led by Noemi. Growth is steady and deliberate, supported by regional coverage and guide mentions, while the restaurant continues to refine its menus and culinary direction.
Participation in regional food events fosters professional exchange and keeps the project open to new ideas. The goal remains to consolidate a cuisine that is recognisable, territorial, and current.
