Pino Cuttaia is the Italian chef widely recognised as one of the leading figures in modern Sicilian gastronomy and the chef-proprietor of two-Michelin-star Ristorante La Madia in Licata, Sicily. Born 11 May 1967 in Licata, on the southern Sicilian coast, Cuttaia trained in northern Italy in the 1980s and 1990s before returning to his home town of Licata to open Ristorante La Madia with his wife Loredana in 2000. The restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2006 and its second Michelin star in 2009, and Cuttaia has continued as chef-proprietor across more than 25 years of Sicilian fine-dining operation, with 2025 marking the 25-year anniversary of La Madia.
Cuttaia’s 2025-2026 work continues at Ristorante La Madia, which has retained its two Michelin stars in the 2025 and 2026 editions of the Italy Michelin Guide. The restaurant marks 25 years of Cuttaia’s creativity in 2025, and Cuttaia participated in the Gusto Montagna 2025 event in Monaco on 20 February 2025 alongside other leading Italian chefs. He continues to anchor the Licata fine-dining scene with the signature memory-led Sicilian cuisine that has defined his career, including the famous Stoccafisso al Profumo di Camino dish and the Cuttaia approach to Sicilian seafood.
TL;DR
- Italian Sicilian chef born 11 May 1967 in Licata, Sicily
- Trained in northern Italy in 1980s-1990s before returning to Sicily
- Opened Ristorante La Madia in Licata 2000 with wife Loredana
- First Michelin star 2006; second Michelin star 2009
- 2025: 25-year anniversary of La Madia
- 2025-2026: Two Michelin stars retained Italy Michelin Guide
Pino Cuttaia key facts
| Born | 11 May 1967, Licata, Sicily, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian (Sicilian) |
| Wife | Loredana Cuttaia (co-founder of La Madia) |
| Restaurant | Ristorante La Madia, Licata, Sicily (since 2000) |
| Michelin status | Two Michelin stars (since 2009) |
| Style | Memory-led Sicilian cuisine; signature Stoccafisso al Profumo di Camino |
| 2025 highlight | 25-year anniversary; Gusto Montagna Monaco 20 February 2025 |
Early life and training of Pino Cuttaia
Cuttaia was born on 11 May 1967 in Licata, on the southern Sicilian coast of Italy. He grew up in Licata and developed his culinary instincts through Sicilian family-cookery traditions before pursuing formal training. The childhood in Sicilian home cooking and the strong coastal-ingredient culture became the formative influence on his subsequent career across more than 25 years of Sicilian fine-dining operation.
Through the 1980s and 1990s Cuttaia trained at multiple northern Italian restaurants, gaining classical Italian and continental European technique. The northern Italian training period gave him direct exposure to the Italian fine-dining traditions of the period and informed his subsequent return to Sicily, where he combined northern Italian technical training with the Sicilian regional ingredient culture and family-cookery memory.
In 2000 Cuttaia and his wife Loredana opened Ristorante La Madia in their home town of Licata. La Madia under Cuttaia earned its first Michelin star in 2006, six years after opening, and its second Michelin star in 2009. Cuttaia has continued as chef-proprietor across more than 25 years of Sicilian fine-dining operation, and the restaurant has held two Michelin stars continuously since 2009, marking 16 years of two-star status.
Pino Cuttaia career timeline
- 11 May 1967: Born in Licata, Sicily, Italy
- 1980s-1990s: Training at multiple northern Italian restaurants
- 2000: Opens Ristorante La Madia in Licata with wife Loredana
- 2006: First Michelin star at La Madia
- 2009: Second Michelin star at La Madia
- 2010s: Becomes recognised as leading figure in modern Sicilian gastronomy
- 2014: Cuttaia featured in University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo Academic Tables
- 2019: FrescoClub feature on La Madia
- 2020-2022: Restaurant continues operations through Covid-19 pandemic
- 2024: Two Michelin stars retained Italy Michelin Guide 2024
- 20 February 2025: Gusto Montagna 2025 event in Monaco participation
- 2025: Two Michelin stars retained Italy Michelin Guide 2025
- 2025: 25-year anniversary of La Madia opening (Quarter of a Century feature)
- 2026: Two Michelin stars retained Italy Michelin Guide 2026
- 2026: La Madia continues in Licata
Pino Cuttaia signature style: memory-led Sicilian cuisine
Cuttaia’s central argument, developed across more than 25 years from 2000 onwards, is that traditional Sicilian cookery rooted in family-cookery memory combined with northern Italian technical training can anchor a sustained two-Michelin-star restaurant in Licata. The La Madia menu under Cuttaia is widely recognised as one of the most distinctive memory-led Sicilian fine-dining menus, anchored in the Cuttaia approach to Sicilian seafood and the family-cookery memory references that distinguish his cookery.
The second defining element is the signature Stoccafisso al Profumo di Camino dish, in which the dried-cod stoccafisso is smoked at the table to evoke the chimney smoke of his Sicilian family memory. The dish has become one of the most-recognised modern Sicilian cuisine signatures, and exemplifies the Cuttaia approach to combining Sicilian ingredients with the memory-led narrative cookery he has championed since 2000.
The third pillar is the sustained 25-year chef-proprietor role at La Madia. Within the Italian two-Michelin-star Sicilian cohort Cuttaia sits alongside Ciccio Sultano, and within the broader Italian two-Michelin-star cohort he sits alongside peers including Norbert Niederkofler and Enrico Crippa as one of the defining figures in modern Italian regional gastronomy.
Notable Pino Cuttaia work
Several Cuttaia projects have become reference points in modern Sicilian gastronomy. Ristorante La Madia in Licata (since 2000, two Michelin stars since 2009) is his defining 25-year operation. The signature Stoccafisso al Profumo di Camino dish exemplifies his memory-led Sicilian cuisine approach. The 2025 25-year anniversary of La Madia opening marks the quarter-century milestone. The 2025 Gusto Montagna Monaco participation extends his international profile, and the 2014 University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo Academic Tables feature documents the Cuttaia approach to Sicilian gastronomic education.
Pino Cuttaia awards and recognition
- 2000: Opens Ristorante La Madia in Licata with wife Loredana
- 2006: First Michelin star at La Madia
- 2009: Second Michelin star at La Madia
- 2014: University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo Academic Tables feature
- 2024: Two Michelin stars retained Italy Michelin Guide 2024
- 20 February 2025: Gusto Montagna 2025 Monaco participation
- 2025: Two Michelin stars retained Italy Michelin Guide 2025
- 2025: 25-year anniversary of La Madia opening
- 2026: Two Michelin stars retained Italy Michelin Guide 2026
Pino Cuttaia impact on modern Sicilian gastronomy
Cuttaia’s most concrete contribution is the 25-year La Madia operation in Licata, including 16 years of continuous two-Michelin-star status from 2009 onwards. Few Sicilian chefs have sustained a chef-proprietor role at a single fine-dining restaurant for comparable duration, and La Madia continues at the front rank of Sicilian two-star restaurants alongside Ristorante Duomo under Ciccio Sultano.
The second contribution is the memory-led Sicilian cuisine approach. The signature Stoccafisso al Profumo di Camino dish exemplifies the Cuttaia approach to combining Sicilian ingredients with family-cookery memory references, and has become one of the most-recognised modern Sicilian cuisine signatures.
The third contribution is the sustained Sicilian chef-restaurateur model anchored in Licata. Within the Italian two-Michelin-star cohort Cuttaia sits alongside peers including Norbert Niederkofler and Enrico Crippa as one of the defining figures in modern Italian regional gastronomy.
Pino Cuttaia FAQ
Does La Madia still have two Michelin stars?
Yes. Ristorante La Madia in Licata, Sicily retained its two Michelin stars in the 2025 and 2026 editions of the Italy Michelin Guide. The restaurant has held two Michelin stars continuously since 2009, more than 16 years.
What is the Stoccafisso al Profumo di Camino?
The Stoccafisso al Profumo di Camino is Cuttaia’s signature dish in which the dried-cod stoccafisso is smoked at the table to evoke the chimney smoke of his Sicilian family memory. The dish exemplifies the Cuttaia memory-led Sicilian cuisine approach and has become one of the most-recognised modern Sicilian cuisine signatures.
When did La Madia open?
2000. Cuttaia and his wife Loredana opened Ristorante La Madia in his home town of Licata in 2000. The restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2006 and its second Michelin star in 2009. The year 2025 marks the 25-year anniversary of the original 2000 opening.
Where is La Madia?
Ristorante La Madia is in Licata, on the southern Sicilian coast of Italy, in Cuttaia’s home town. The Licata location anchors the restaurant’s distinctive Sicilian-coastal-ingredient cuisine and the family-cookery memory references that distinguish Cuttaia’s cookery.
Did Cuttaia train in northern Italy?
Yes. Cuttaia trained at multiple northern Italian restaurants through the 1980s and 1990s before returning to Sicily to open La Madia in 2000. The northern Italian training gave him classical Italian fine-dining technique that he subsequently combined with the Sicilian regional ingredient culture and family-cookery memory.
What is next for Pino Cuttaia
Ristorante La Madia continues with two Michelin stars in Licata through 2026 following the 2025 25-year anniversary. The restaurant’s official website (ristorantelamadia.it) is the best source for current updates.
