ABOUT US

ME&MY FAMILY

Massimo attended South Italy’s prestigious Armando Perotti Institute, working under chef Antonio De Rosa and obtained his diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Services. The early days of his career were spent working at Bari’s Hotel Mercure and then, seeking a new experience, Massimo left his homeland to immigrate to Canada in 2001 to help out at his aunt’s restaurants, 7 Numbers, in Toronto.

Only once in North America, did Massimo discover his true passion for authentic Italian cooking, noticing that what North Americans experienced as “Italian” food had been highly Americanized (who the hell is “Alfredo”?!), and missing his mom’s authentic home cooking.

After opening 7 Numbers’ second location, Massimo left the restaurant for good and claimed his stake as a home cook and focused on the importance of the traditional preparation and serving of food. Returning to Italy as often as possible and diving into research to study the value of ‘Cucina Povera’ in the Italian culture, Massimo continued his education, learning from the best teachers of all – the “Mamma’s” of Italy… from his Mother (the best cook of all!) to his aunts and other family friends.

Eighteen years ago, Massimo started Authentic Tours to Italy, starting with his home region of Puglia, then adding Sicily and Sardegna after that. He is the connector and translator of the rich Italian heritage and culture so that his guests have a true authentic Italian experience. Today, Massimo is an in demand Private Chef (he created Toronto’s longest running Authentic Italian Regional Supper Club) and also leads authentic Italian culinary tours of the Puglia, Sicily and Sardegna regions of Italy. He is married to Marnee Watts and together with their daughter, Francesca, they reside in South Italy.