Chiara Zelocchi
My name is Chiara Zelocchi. I am an Italian woman who lived in London for 15 years. In Italy, I worked for companies such as Lamborghini and Ferrari. In London, I worked in the finance and art sector. I moved to the Netherlands two years ago. Since then, I’ve spent time discovering Dutch culture and landscape, as well as spending quality time with my family and cooking for them frequently.
I have always had a great passion for food and eating. For me, cooking is a magical process of creating something, and the secret ingredient is love. Growing up, I watched and helped my grandmother cook. Everything she prepared was a labour of love. I learned from her example that I can express love for my family, friends, and even myself through food. It was this love—not only for food itself, but also for food’s ability to bring people together—that shaped my entire relationship with cooking.
As a teenager and young adult, I continued learning in my family’s traditional Emilia-Romagna restaurant. I helped in both the kitchen and with serving clients, discovering the rhythm of the service and the warmth of Italian hospitality. I also assisted in organising weddings, ceremonies, and corporate events—immersing myself in the beauty and intensity of those special days. The kitchen quickly became my favourite place: I loved the team chats before service and the wonderful, organised chaos once the orders began to flow.