Three Italian routes into São Paulo’s food culture

Italian influence in São Paulo is not limited to a list of dishes. It also moves through people: chefs and bartenders who bring a repertoire, then alter it through the ingredients, kitchens and habits they encounter.

WAYFARER’s January 2024 selection followed three such routes. Antonio Maiolica, Luca Gozzani and Fabio La Pietra worked in different parts of the city’s dining life, making the exchange visible through practice.

Two kitchen paths

Maiolica came from Salerno and worked in the United States before his São Paulo career. The archive placed him at Temperani Cucina and MII Rooftop within Vila Anália, with naturally fermented pizza part of his repertoire.

Gozzani’s route began in Empoli, with his grandmother’s cooking as an early reference. Training in Florence and work at Enoteca Pinchiorri preceded his arrival in Brazil and his association with Fasano. The report traced his move from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo.

A different exchange at the bar

La Pietra joined SubAstor in 2013, according to the original account. His cocktails drew on ingredients such as pork crackling, dried beef and bottled butter, translating Brazilian food references through a bartender’s methods.

The roles described are historical, not a current employment directory. Together, the three paths show why migration is a continuing culinary process. An inherited technique becomes more interesting when it encounters material it was not originally taught to use.

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Adapted from the WAYFARER Brazil archive, first published 2024-01-30. English adaptation: 6 October 2026. This is an archival account, not a report of a new visit. Exhibitions, collections and menu details are described in their original context, not as current availability.