Chef Patrizia Di Benedetto leads the kitchen of Bye Bye Blues in Mondello, where her work with local ingredients and seasonality earned the restaurant a Michelin star in 2011, as recognized by the Michelin Guide.
Patrizia Di Benedetto was born in Palermo, in a family deeply tied to the flavors and gestures of Sicilian home cooking. Initially set on a different professional path, she chose to dedicate herself fully to cooking, strengthening her skills through professional courses and training periods in Italy and abroad.
Her career took a decisive turn in 1991, when she opened Bye Bye Blues in Mondello (Palermo) with her husband Antonio Barraco. What began as an informal eatery soon evolved into a contemporary restaurant with a strong focus on the sea, local vegetables, and high-quality Sicilian ingredients.
In 2011, the Michelin Guide awarded the restaurant one Michelin star, making her the first female chef in Sicily to achieve this recognition. In 2024, she took on the culinary direction of Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia on the island of Salina, a property of the Tasca d’Almerita family, further developing her territorial approach with an emphasis on landscape, local producers, and environmental awareness.
From a personal standpoint, she often describes her debut in the kitchen as accidental—stepping in when the original cook left, only to discover a passion that would define her life. Though self-taught, she later trained with chefs such as Jordi Butrón and completed stages in France.
Her culinary philosophy rests on the respect for local raw materials—fish, vegetables, and small-scale meats—on seasonality and on a clear expression of the Sicilian landscape. As she explains: “Mine is a profoundly feminine cuisine—instinctive, emotional, creative.” Her work in Salina emphasizes relationships with local farmers and fishermen, visual simplicity, and depth of execution.
Her most notable achievement remains the Michelin star—a prize awarded by Michelin—in 2011. She is also an associate member of Euro-Toques Italia, which highlights chefs committed to safeguarding quality food culture in Europe. Her collaboration with Tasca d’Almerita confirms her as an important voice in contemporary Sicilian gastronomy.
Her work has helped bring attention to female chefs in Sicily and has shown how a seafood-driven restaurant can become a place of territorial storytelling and culinary research.
