Marco Stabile
I was born in Pontedera, cradled by the scents and flavours of Tuscany, where every family lunch was a small ritual. I remember my grandmother preparing boiled chicken and liver pâté for Christmas, and me, a child, staying in the kitchen, too fragile to run out to play. Those moments were special: in the warmth of the cooker and my mother's loving gestures, my love of cooking was born.
In Florence, during hotel-management school, I found not only my way, but also a city that I immediately felt was mine, with its rhythm, its colours, its breath of art. I started working early, and at eighteen, driven by the recklessness of passion, I threw myself into running a trattoria. Next to me was Guido Sabatini, my first teacher, who passed on to me the sense of local cuisine, patience, and the courage to always believe in it
I travelled, to discover new flavours and perfect my technique: California, Austria, St Petersburg, France. And, finally, the return to Tuscany, to gourmet temples like the Osteria di Passignano and ‘Arnolfo,’ where I learnt the elegance and balance of great dishes.
In 2005, Florence became my home and I realised my dream with the opening of L'Ora d'Aria. Here, every day is a challenge: defending the soul of Tuscan cuisine from imitations and giving dishes a truth that tells my story, our story. With every dish I prepare, I try to evoke the emotion of memories, reinterpreting the classics with respect and lightness, so that they can remain authentic, sincere.
I love this city and its cuisine as one loves a family, with the desire that Florence, like its culinary tradition, never loses its identity.
