Chef Luciano Pellegrini
Bergamo, Italy is the birthplace of one of America’s most established chefs, Luciano Pellegrini. Pellegrini began his culinary experience in his mother’s kitchen and at age 13, he enrolled at San Pellegrino, one of Italy’s most prestigious hotel schools and spent his teenage years attending school and gaining experience at various restaurants throughout Italy. After graduation, Pellegrini was exposed to dining at its finest when working at Locanda dell’Angelo in Bergamo.
At the age of 18, after Pellegrini completed his required one-year of military service as a parachutist, he gained experience and expertise working for an impressive list of top Italian restaurants. In 1985, he took a brave step by moving to the United States to work with restaurateur Piero Selvaggio, who had achieved a solid reputation for bringing genuine Italian cuisine to California.
By 1987, Pellegrini was quickly developing his cooking and leadership skills as a pasta chef at Selvaggio’s restaurant, Primi, and then in 1991 as head chef at Posto restaurant in the San Fernando Valley. Pellegrini was immediately recognized for his talents and was critically acclaimed.
Pellegrini returned to Italy to spend time to further perfect his culinary art where he learned the art of grilling on the “fogolar,” and perfected the art of sausage-making. During different stages in his travels, Pellegrini has worked with some of the most creative and respected Italian chefs in the world including Gianfranco Vissani, Fulvio Pierangelini, Paola DiMauro and Nadia Santini.
In 1999, Pellegrini was given the chance to input his creativity when Valentino Las Vegas opened. His dedication has turned Valentino into one of the leading Italian restaurants in Nevada. Backed by his culinary expertise, Valentino Las Vegas has received numerous awards .
