Pizza chef, consultant, and author for Il Cucchiaio d’Argento. After experiences at Ai Tigli, with Enzo Coccia, Gualtiero Marchesi, and Andrea Berton, he led the ovens at Dry Milano and co-founded Crosta, earning ten consecutive Tre Spicchi Gambero Rosso awards and “Best Dough of the Year” (2021). Today, he creates bespoke pizzas that narrate territory through ingredients.
Born in Padua in 1981, Simone Lombardi discovered his passion for pizza at a young age, while working in a takeaway pizzeria during his studies. Quickly realizing that quantity over quality wasn’t his path, he took a sabbatical year to complete the three levels of the A.I.S. sommelier certification, refining his sense of taste and pairing.
A decisive step came with Ai Tigli in San Bonifacio, under Simone Padoan. There, pizza became cuisine — crafted doughs, long fermentations, and seasonal toppings. Guided by Padoan, Lombardi attended the Università della Pizza of Molino Quaglia and trained with Enzo Coccia, master of Neapolitan tradition.
Curiosity led him to both kitchen and dining room at Hostaria dell’Orso with Gualtiero Marchesi and chef Alfio Ghezzi, and later to Alba, at Dulcis Vitis by Bruno Cingolani, where he learned that great cooking begins with ingredient research.
In 2011 he flew to Mexico City to open La Cantinetta del Becco with Rolly Pavia and Julián Martínez Bello — an international experience that honed his organization and creative identity.
Two years later, back in Italy, Andrea Berton involved him in launching Dry Cocktails & Pizza in Milan, where Lombardi led the ovens until 2018. The concept — combining contemporary pizza and mixology — gained major acclaim: Premio Innovazione Horeca (2014), Foodies Star (Gambero Rosso, 2014), Pizzeria of the Year (Barawards 2015), and Tre Spicchi Gambero Rosso from 2015 to 2018.
In 2018 he co-founded Crosta with master baker Giovanni Mineo, uniting bakery and pizzeria under one roof. Crosta immediately received Tre Spicchi (2019) and maintained them through 2024, while Gambero Rosso named Lombardi among the “Masters of Dough” in 2021.
In 2024 he concluded the Crosta chapter to focus on an editorial project: the book “PIZZA Fatta in casa” (Pizza Made at Home, Il Cucchiaio d’Argento, Editoriale Domus), a collection of ten years of research translated into a simple domestic method — one base dough, fifty recipes, and professional techniques adapted for home use.
Today Lombardi lives and works in Milan as a consultant, educator, and pizza craftsman. His approach — which he calls the “pizza kitchen” — centers on flour selection, hydration, long fermentation, and seasonal toppings that express the essence of each territory.
