Chef Rocco De Santis

Rocco grew up in a rural Southern town steeped in generations-old culinary traditions. Everything from pasta to desserts was homemade, and Rocco spent his childhood watching his mother work her magic in the kitchen. While a love for his family’s food and local ingredients was always there, his relentless artistic pursuit of the art cooking blossomed later in life, through work experiences and mentors. The most influential of these was undoubtedly Gennaro Esposito, but other chefs like Pino Lavarra, Georges Blanc, Andrea Apre, Luca Mazzola, and Pierfranco Ferrara also played a role in shaping his culinary journey. After years of fervent apprenticeship he became Executive Chef of Il Vistamare in the Circeo National Park where he obtained his first Michelin Star. Rocco has now been executive Chef at Santa Elisabetta since 2017. The first star arrived on November 6th 2019, with the 2020 Michelin Guide. The second star arrived on November 25th 2020, with the 2021 Michelin Guide.