RETROGUSTI PROFILE

Name: Pietro D’Agostino

Year of Birth: 1972

Hometown: Taormina

Where He Cooks Today: La Capinera Taormina

Career Path

He moved to London at age 21, where the doors of Hyde Park immediately swung wide open for him. Less than two years later, he opened the restaurant at the Grand Hotel Costa Esmeralda in Costa Rica. At age 24, he was recruited by the Dorchester in London, where he created an exquisitely refined banquet for the Sultan of Brunei. At 26, he joined the Disney Cruise Line (Walt Disney World Group), overseeing Italian cuisine for all the top politicians who flock to Florida. Upon returning to Italy at age 28, he served as executive chef at the Torpedo restaurant at the Le Méridien Lingotto Hotel in Turin, where he and his team cooked for the players and staff of Juventus. At age 30, he was recruited by Il Gattopardo restaurant at the Grand Hotel Mazzarò Sea Palace in Taormina—the renowned five-star luxury hotel in the “Pearl of the Ionian Sea”—to lead a kitchen staff of 22 chefs. 

But it was at age 31 that D’Agostino fulfilled his dream: opening his own restaurant, La Capinera, where he could express the full richness of Sicilian cuisine with intelligent and innovative creativity. Together with his team, he creates dishes of great harmony every day, in which the seasons and the bounty of his beloved homeland remain the guiding thread.

In 2008, he received the prestigious Michelin star.

HIS WORLD 

Ingredient that represents him: Fish

Ingredient he avoids: Offal

The dish that makes him feel like a child again: Sunday sauce

A mentor: In Sicily, chefs Rocco Raneri, Enrico Delflinger, and Fabrizio Cadei

THE SETTING 

Restaurant: La Capinera

Seating capacity: 40

Kitchen Team: Carlo Ippolito, junior sous-chef; Valentina Tradito, junior sous-chef; Tommaso Mazza, chef de partie; Vincenzo Costanza, chef de partie; Michael Scrivano, pastry chef; Santino Insana, demi chef de partie; Giorgia Pizziol, demi chef de partie; Giulia Sorrenti, demi chef de partie

Sommelier/Front of House: Emanuele Ciaramidaro, Cinzia D’Agostino

Philosophy: Research, hard work, humility. Cuisine rooted in the local terroir and tradition. 

THE 5 RETROGUSTI QUESTIONS 

What is the aftertaste of your cuisine?

The aftertaste of my cuisine is memory. It’s not nostalgia, but rather an echo that lingers after every bite: the minerality of seasonal vegetables, the iodine of Mazara shrimp, the briny flavor of Salina capers. I love enriching my dishes with wild herbs from Mount Etna and Modica chocolate, and when they meet, for example, the sweetness of Noto almonds or roasted datterino tomatoes, the result is a contrasting yet balanced finish on the palate.

What isn’t visible on the plate but carries immense weight?

Each of my dishes tells a story, in which the ingredients intertwine with culture and the local territory, taking shape with a modern touch of avant-garde cuisine.

A mistake that helped you grow?

When I was younger, I liked to cook sophisticated dishes and experiment with unusual techniques. Like many of my generation, I was fascinated by novelty. Then I realized that excessive elaboration is unnecessary, because it takes you away from the essence of cooking. 

 Is there a culinary tradition that captures your region better than a thousand words?

My cuisine stands out for its sustainable approach and its focus on plant-based ingredients, many of which are organic: authentic, high-quality, local, and seasonal.  My culinary offerings—such as white bean soup or mushroom “cappuccino” with candied orange and hazelnuts—reflect a commitment to promoting simple, healthy eating that responds to growing consumer awareness, while at the same time enhancing flavor and and to experiment with flavor combinations and cooking techniques.

How do you see your cuisine in the future?

Without unnecessary frills—more authentic ingredients. Yes to technology, but in the service of local ingredients, Sicilian biodiversity, and ingredients that tell the story of the region. 

THE SIGNATURE DISH

Chocolate soufflé with Sicilian tobacco ice cream

Ingredients for 6 people:

200 gr 72% dark chocolate

30 gr raw cane sugar

350 gr egg whites

1 egg yolk

Instructions:

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, mix well, and fold in the sugar, egg yolk, and stiffly beaten egg whites. Fill the molds—which have been buttered and dusted with sugar—and bake at 180 degrees for 8 minutes. Serve with the ice cream.

Tobacco Ice Cream

Ingredients for 12 scoops:

400 g milk

200 g fresh cream

90 g brown sugar

3 g natural tobacco leaves

4 egg yolks 

Instructions:

Heat the milk and cream to 72 degrees; stir in the well-mixed eggs and sugar; add the tobacco and let it infuse for 20 minutes; process in an ice cream maker or the PacoJet.