Best places to buy Italian ingredients?
In Sydney, I go to Simon Johnson, Lario International in Waterloo or Quattro Formaggi Deli and Fourth Village Providore, which are both in Mosman.

To satisfy sweet cravings…
I head to Sydney’s Gelato Messina.

Favourite country meal?
Bells at Killcare or Biota Dining in Bowral, NSW and nothing beats cooking a spit roast over an open fire in the mountains in the north of Italy with my family.

My pick for fresh produce is…
Sydney’s Flemington Markets, Eveleigh Markets or any other farmers’ markets.

Top choice for a tipple?
A schooner of cold beer at Florida Beach Bar at the Crowne Plaza Terrigal on NSW’s Central Coast. But when I’m in Italy, I head to Al Frate in Brescia for a ‘pirlo’ (the Brescian version of an Aperol spritz).

Where do you get your caffeine fix?
The Kiosk at Pilu Freshwater for a piccolo.

Best place for small bites?
Bodega in Sydney’s Surry Hills.

When I don’t feel like cooking…
I like going to Barbuto Restaurant in Narrabeen for a great steak.

Recent foodie discovery…
The Cooks’ Co-op – Longrain chef Martin Boetz’s new gardening and cooking school project that’s based in Sackville on the NSW Hawkesbury River.

Most memorable meal?
Piazza Duomo in Alba, Piedmont. Chef Enrico Crippa is a magician.

Best meal with a view?
The water views at my restaurant, Ormeggio at the Spit, are unbeatable!

The dish that reminds me of home is…
Spiedo Bresciano – a lovely wintry dish consisting of a selection of slow-roasted meats cooked in a special spit-roast oven and basted with sage and butter.

Best place to impress?
Lunch at Pilu at Freshwater on Sydney’s northern beaches.

The chef to watch?
Federico Zanellato, our head chef here at Ormeggio.