Chef Lorenzo Boni grew up with fervent Italian passion for food in Bologna, Italy. While studying culinary arts, Lorenzo traveled extensively throughout Italy and the USA, immersing himself in the regional cuisines of Italy and working at many top-rated restaurants throughout Italy.
In 2001, Lorenzo joined Barilla Italy full time at their world R&D headquarters in Parma, Italy. In 2003, he was promoted to Executive Chef for Barilla America, returning once again to the U.S.
In his current role, Lorenzo is responsible for the culinary projects of Barilla Americas, as well as managing the execution of all Barilla-sponsored consumer and trade events. Lorenzo is also a spokesperson for Barilla and Italian Food Culture Educator in many food conferences around the country.
Follow Chef Lorenzo on Twitter or Instagram @cheflorenzoboni
Interview Highlights with Chef Lorenzo Boni
Chef Boni was recently interviewed for a story by La Cucina Italiana where he shared a little more about himself and his cooking style:
Q. What do you like of your job as Barilla Executive Chef for North America?
A. Growing up in Italy, you love pasta because it’s the base of your diet and it’s what you eat every day. Joining Barilla was like a dream coming true for me because it is the number one pasta brand of Italy.
Q. Is there any particular pasta recipe for a beginner that you would recommend starting with?
A. Our Recipe Builders are designed for people who don’t necessarily have a great amount of experience in cooking. It’s kind of a mix and match tool that allows you pick your ingredients and build your own recipe, and it’s very easy to follow. We are inspired by cuisines from different regions in the world, but if I were to pick one, it would naturally be Italian.
Q. How does pasta fit in a balanced diet?
A. In Italy, most of the population is pretty fit, and they eat pasta every day. It is all about portion control. We recommend two ounces of dry pasta per person, or one cup of cooked pasta, about the size of a baseball, for each serving. How you cook the pasta is very important as well, that’s what we are trying to communicate with these recipe builders.