Giuliano Baldessari

Baldessari returned to the Veneto after years in Spanish avant-garde kitchens and applied their conceptual rigor to Vicentino ingredients. Aqua Crua (meaning 'raw water' in Venetian dialect) explores the boundary between raw and cooked — and between nature and transformation.

Giuliano Baldessari, born 1977 in Roncegno Terme (Trento), trained in some of Spain's most avant-garde kitchens before opening Aqua Crua in Barbarano Vicentino in 2014. His signature approach strips food to its essence, famously tasting dishes in a latex suit to isolate all senses except taste.

Trentino, Italy — trained in Spanish avant-garde cuisine; influenced by conceptual approaches to flavor

Career

• Cook at Martín Berasategui, Lasarte-Oria, Spain (Late 1990s)
• Cook at El Bulli, Roses, Spain (Early 2000s)
• Cook at Quique Dacosta, Dénia, Spain (Mid-2000s)

Mentored by Ferran Adrià, Quique Dacosta.