Chef at Soul Kitchen in Turin, he has been shaping a plant-based cuisine that blends classical technique and technological research for over a decade. Through tasting menus built exclusively on vegetables, he has turned his restaurant into an ethical, contemporary reference point in Italy’s culinary scene.
Grown up in the Bergamo area and trained at San Pellegrino Terme Hospitality School, Luca Andrè began his professional journey in 2000 at Passone in Montevecchia — then a Michelin-starred restaurant — before moving to Milan’s Jolly Hotels and the Four Seasons, and later to Château Val di Colle in Arezzo. A foundation rooted in classical cuisine, marked by rigor and technical precision.
In 2001, a personal choice radically shifted his trajectory: embracing veganism. It soon became fertile ground for rethinking the craft from the inside out. Without some of the pillars of traditional cooking, he started exploring new textures, alternative protein structures and plant-based techniques, applying classical methods such as braising and smoking to vegetables only, and integrating fermentations, extractions and an increasingly technological approach.
In 2013, he opened Soul Kitchen in the heart of Turin. The delabré walls of the 19th-century building became the backdrop for a project aiming to position plant-based cuisine as an autonomous language — free from stereotypes and capable of depth and pleasure. Plates are constructed through contrasts of colours and textures, supported by a meticulous work on vegetables: local flours without eggs, algal protein powders, controlled fermentations, and the use of 3D-printed plant-based meat developed by Redefine Meat, which replicates muscular structure and juiciness through pea, soy and wheat proteins, vegetable fats and beetroot concentrate.
His three tasting menus express this philosophy with clarity. Archivio, a nine-course signature journey, brings together dishes that marked the story of Soul Kitchen, such as Primavera — grilled asparagus, saffron mayonnaise and fermented elderflower — and Bbq, inspired by the pleasure of grilling through fermented soy-based meat. Tradizione e Innovazione (six courses) reinterprets Piedmont through a plant-based lens, from Asparagus Cappuccino to vegan plin and the dessert Gran Torino. Mono focuses on a single seasonal ingredient, explored across four courses.
The dining room, led by Gianluca Rattalino, reinforces the culinary vision with a pairing programme built to dialogue with the food: Piedmontese varietals, small biodynamic producers, orange wines and Zoppi Distillery spirits weave a coherent narrative around the chef’s plant-based approach.
Ethics and culture guide his cuisine and extend into his collaborations — among them FunnyVeg, an editorial and professional network devoted to promoting vegan culture in Italy. Here, his mission crystallises: to demonstrate that plant-based cuisine can be creative, sustainable and capable of emotion. “Food is no longer just food, but a revolutionary act,” he often says, turning each dish into a statement of intent.
Over the years, Soul Kitchen has attracted a wide and diverse audience, including high-profile diners such as Novak Djokovic during his stays in Turin. Its growing recognition reflects a proposal that combines technical depth, ethical clarity and a future-oriented culinary language — one that remains rooted, rigorous and expressive.
