The Chef and the Team

Fabio Aceti – Executive Chef
Chef Fabio was born in 1986, in Varese, Italy. Thanks to his grandmother, Orsola, he learned the importance of cooking dishes that best represent the territory in which they are produced, enhancing its traditions and the seasonality of the ingredients.

One of the experiences that most influenced his training was meeting Master Chef Gualtiero Marchesi at his restaurant in Franciacorta, l'Albereta in Erbusco, and later at the Antica Osteria del Ponte alongside chef Ezio Santin.
His curiosity for good food started during his childhood, to compensate when he was served quick and unappetising dishes by his family.
After finishing his hotel studies and an internship in Paris at Michelle Troisgros' three-starred restaurant, in 2011 he decided to extend his culinary horizons and moved to London, where he worked for Michel Roux at Roux at the Landau. From the great French master he learned about rigour in the kitchen, the importance of the beauty of each dish and the continue research for excellence.
He continued his training in Milan as Chef de cuisine at the Michelangelo and Larte restaurants, before moving to Verona to Famiglia Rana gourmet restaurant.

Since January 2020, he is Executive Chef at Tenuta Le Cave's restaurant.


Nicola Paghera – Sous Chef
Born in Desenzano del Garda in 1994, he studied at the C. de Medici hotel school and graduated in enogastronomy.
After graduating, he worked in the Garda Lake area, at the Villa Cortine Palace Hotel and in an Italian restaurant in St. Moritz.
His curiosity and the desire to explore the world led him to Australia, where he worked as a chef de partie in Sydney and in a restaurant in the Outback.
After a year he decided to return to Europe, moving to France. He was chef the partie at Les Etangs de Corot (one Michelin star), alongside Chef Remi Chambard. After one year, he arrived at Tenuta Le Cave as Chef Fabio's Sous chef, embracing his philosophy: the enhancement of local products without resorting to excessively sophisticated processing techniques.

Laura Polato – Pastry chef
Born in Brescia in 1997, she attended the C. de Medici hotel school in Desenzano del Garda and graduated in 2016 in enogastronomy, specialising in pastry.
After finishing her studies she began her career in a restaurant in Switzerland. At the end of the season, when she came back home, her curiosity pushed her to leave to Australia. After stopping in Sydney, she started working in a fine dining restaurant as a pastry chef. With the desire to explore the world and make new experiences, she moved to France, where she joined the Hilton group and worked at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in Versailles (1 Michelin star).
She embraces Tenuta Le Cave's philosophy of using local and seasonal products: she loves experimenting and expressing herself through the desserts she creates. To her, pastry is not just a job, it's a way to express love.

Livia Cinque – Maître
Born in the province of Milan in 1996, she graduated at the hotel institute,, where she developed love and passion for the Chef de Rang's role. With the desire to keep up to date with the world of catering, in 2019 she graduated from the WSET School in London and in 2020 she got a Master's degree in Food&Beverage Management. She is currently studying at "Gambero Rosso University-Univesità Mercatorum"-"Progettazione e gestione delle attività della ristorazione-Gastronomia, Ospitalità e Territori", with the aim of obtaining a Doctorate. The experiences that had the greatest impact on her training were at the Grand Hotel Poltu Quatu and at the Sereno Hotel (1 Michelin star) on the Como Lakeshore, which left a great experience of service, entering into an elegant, refined and sought-after perspective.

Franco Battocchi – Sommelier
Born in 1971 in Soave, Verona, he has been the sommelier of Tenuta Le Cave for four years. His career is studded with numerous experiences abroad in renowned restaurants. He worked at the Armani/Restaurant in Dubai, at Sirocco and Saawan (1 Michelin Star) in Bangkok, and at Alma in Singapore (1 Michelin Star).
Over the years he has been responsible for the dining room in banqueting companies.

Mattia Marana - Commis
Born in Soave in 2000.
Graduated at Berti Institute in Verona in July 2020 with the qualification of technician of services for food and wine and hotel hospitality. In 2018 he worked as an intern at Hotel Catullo in Verona, which belongs to the Holiday Inn Company. In 2019 he started his journey at Tenuta le Cave where he holds the position of Commis. The passion for catering has been part of him since he was a child, and it comes from his family. He is attracted to the world of wine and one of his dreams is to attend a course to specialise as a sommelier.