Chef Francesco Di Caudo began working in restaurants and cooking in his small Italian village in Randazzo, Sicily, when he was 11 years old. “I never liked asking my parents for money,” he says. “But at the time, I loved Scottie Pippen from the Bulls and wanted his Nike shoes. I started working in a pizza place, cleaning the floor and dishes. From there, I started to like being in contact with customers, even if I was just 11 years old.” His early career endeavors quickly transformed from necessity to passion. He specialized early in a culinary education, as one can do in Italy, and traveled around during the summers “staging.” He landed in Las Vegas at age 20. A connection from his chef-mentor in Italy led him to an opportunity at Zeffirino in The Venetian. Throughout his two decades in the valley, he traversed some of the city’s most lauded restaurants, including Ferraro’s and Anima, before opening Basilico in 2022. At the southwest hotspot, he crafts dishes inspired by his Italian roots.
Or check out the full issue here: https://issuu.com/richmanmediagroup/docs/tt-0824
