Antonio Biafora leads Hyle, a restaurant in the Sila awarded one Michelin Star and one Michelin Green Star 2025. His cuisine reflects a mature exploration of Calabrian ingredients, shaped by technique, territory and the rediscovery of the “pitch trail,” an ancestral identity of the local landscape.
Antonio Biafora’s story is deeply rooted in the Sila, a land of ancient forests, lakes and biodiversity that becomes living material in his cuisine. Before wearing the chef’s jacket, he worked front of house at the family property, Biafora Resort & Spa, where he later joined the kitchen brigade, starting deliberately from the lowest positions. Alongside his degree in Tourism Sciences from the University of Calabria, he strengthened his training with stages across Italy: from the Grand Hotel Vanvitelli in Caserta to Boscolo Etoile in Sottomarina, up to the Alma of Colorno, where he graduated in 2011.
His professional trajectory continued with experiences at Il Vigneto in Roddi d’Alba, the two-star Bracali in Massa Marittima, and with Frank Rizzuti at the Michelin-starred Cucina del Sud, which deeply influenced his vision of Calabria’s gastronomic identity. Early recognitions followed: in 2015 he won the Ferrarelle & ItaliaSquisita jury prize with the dish Agnello e Peperoni; in 2016 he won Taormina Gourmet and received the PrimOlio Award. That same year he was included in Regine & Re di Cuochi, a traveling exhibition dedicated to the excellence of Italian haute cuisine.
His cultural and gastronomic exploration continued through conferences and international events: speaker at Identità Golose 2017 alongside Nino Rossi in a lesson on mountain cuisine; participant at the Food Culture Festival in Paris and its following editions in Matera; guest at I Fili di Gusto in Sardinia. A decisive chapter was his stage at Michel Bras in Toya, Hokkaido, which broadened his technical and aesthetic approach. In 2020, Identità Golose named him “Surprise Chef of the Year.”
The turning point came in 2021: in November he received his first Michelin Star for Hyle, the restaurant he created in San Giovanni in Fiore, within the family property. Hyle represents the most mature expression of his culinary philosophy, built around the Sila as a gastronomic ecosystem. The “pitch trail” — the ancient technique used by local woodsmen to extract resin from the Calabrian pines — becomes a conceptual root. The Greek word hyle, meaning “matter,” encapsulates his idea of a cuisine shaped by the forest, by wood, by the material history of the region.
Hyle’s philosophy revolves around seasonality, contemporary techniques and a dialogue between tradition and experimentation. The tasting menus, Pùzaly and Chjùbica, are culinary itineraries: the former more essential, the latter a broader journey that reflects the full creative process behind Hyle’s laboratory. Vegetables, wild herbs, fermentations and carefully chosen animal proteins build the backbone of a cuisine grounded in biodiversity and conscious sourcing.
The restaurant extends beyond the plate: architecture, craftsmanship and sustainability converge in a cohesive vision. The open kitchen overlooks the dining room; the suspended fireplace forms a meditation area; the cellar, curated by Antonio and his brother Luca, alternates Calabrian wines with international references. The fully organic garden, spread across two levels with dedicated greenhouses, supplies both vegetables and local herbs. The pantry of preserves recalls the ancient domestic “credenza,” while handcrafted knives created with a local artisan testify to a broader cultural project rooted in identity and territory.
Recognition has been consistent: a Michelin Star in 2022, confirmed in the following years; multiple awards from L’Espresso and Gambero Rosso; a place in La Liste’s Top 1000 in 2024. In 2025 Hyle confirms both its Michelin Star and its Michelin Green Star, establishing itself as one of the most significant gastronomic destinations in Southern Italy.
