Chef Giuseppe Causarano, at the helm of Votavota (1 Michelin Star, Marina di Ragusa), turns his passion for the sea and travel into a cuisine of daring contrasts and deep-rooted memories, celebrating Sicilian food culture with elegance and character.
Born in Sicily, Giuseppe Causarano discovered his calling for cooking at a young age and shaped his professional identity through experiences that refined both his technique and vision. After early beginnings in Modica’s trattorias, he trained in prestigious kitchens such as Casa Grugno and Hotel Metropole Taormina, working alongside Austrian chef Andreas Zangerl. At just twenty-three, he became sous-chef at La Fattoria delle Torri and later executive chef at Locanda Gulfi in Chiaramonte Gulfi, where he developed a refined approach to light smoking techniques and the use of “poor fish” from local waters.
In 2017, together with pastry chef and business partner Antonio Colombo, he opened Votavota on Marina di Ragusa’s Andrea Doria seafront. The restaurant’s name comes from the dialect expression vòta-vòta — the gesture fishermen make when pulling in their nets — symbolizing Causarano’s deep connection with the sea.
His cuisine reflects a dialogue between memory, charcoal, and the sea. Every morning, Causarano personally selects the catch at Donnalucata’s fish market, dry-ages fish such as amberjack and tuna, and reinterprets traditional Sicilian recipes — like fried moray eel or cuttlefish scaccia — with techniques involving fermented seaweed and carob-wood embers.
As he defines it himself, his is a cuisine “meticulous in choice, bold in flavor, delicate in pairing, adventurous in exploring distant tastes, respectful of Sicily’s culinary culture, passionate about the sea and travel, and reflective in its vision.” Each dish tells a personal story and a technical journey rooted in hospitality — for Causarano, “hospitality is the primary engine of a restaurant that protects everything revolving around it.”
The Michelin Star awarded in 2024 marks a turning point in his career, confirming his ability to merge local identity, precision, and contemporary aesthetics into a fine-dining destination. Through projects such as 20×20, a tasting experience of twenty original dishes designed for young gourmets, he continues to evolve — experimenting without ever losing touch with his Sicilian roots.
