Mattia Pecis: 2026 Michelin Star for Cracco Portofino

When passion meets excellence, stories worth telling are born. For us at GICO, this story took shape with the announcement of the 2026 Michelin Star for Cracco Portofino and the Young Chef Award for Mattia Pecis.

It’s more than just recognition for an extraordinary restaurant. It’s confirmation that when the vision of a great chef meets the right tools, results that exceed expectations are born.

The kitchen we created for Carlo Cracco in the Liberty-style spaces on the first floor of Portofino was a fascinating challenge: respecting the historic architecture, optimizing every inch, ensuring maximum efficiency. Every detail was customized, every workflow studied, every solution conceived to allow the team to express their talent without limits.

Seeing Chef Pecis receive the Young Chef Award today fills us with pride. Because behind every starred dish is also a kitchen that functions perfectly, consumes sustainably, and responds precisely to the chef’s every gesture.

Who is the young chef for whom we created the Portofino kitchen?

A native of Clusone, a small town of less than 9,000 inhabitants in the province of Bergamo, Mattia Pecis grew up surrounded by nature, an environment that would profoundly influence his culinary philosophy. After his first experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bergamo, he landed in Carlo Cracco’s kitchens in Milan, where he stayed for four and a half years. “For me, it was essential to spend as long as possible in front of the stove in a high-end restaurant,” he says. He subsequently worked with Norbert Niederkofler, an experience he describes as “like coming home” for his approach to ingredients and his intrinsic connection to the region and nature.

After Covid, Cracco entrusted him with the Portofino project, where Pecis found the perfect union between the two elements he loves most: sea and mountains. Working with local fishermen and collaborating with local producers for the garden, the chef has built a personal style rooted in Ligurian traditions in just a few years. “My aim is to eradicate the concept of luxury that this place carries with it, serving a luxury that I would dare to call agricultural,” explains Pecis, emphasizing how at Cracco Portofino, nothing is used that isn’t sourced locally, in keeping with a youthful and authentic culinary philosophy.

We’ve been designing professional kitchens for over half a century, but each time it’s a new story. Cracco Portofino’s is a story of shared excellence.

Congratulations to Mattia and the entire team. This Star shines for you too.