Zafferano is owned by Renzo Geminiani and Stefania Angelini. Renzo, the chef, was born in 1965 in a town in the Veneto Po Delta, while Stefania, front-of-house manager and sommelier, is from Ferrara.
They started out in the restaurant business separately, attending catering school in 1980 and 1983 respectively, whilst spending their summers gaining work experience in various holiday resorts.
After graduating, they each continued to build on their experience working in hotels and restaurants both in Italy and abroad. They finally met at Lake Garda where they both happened to be working and decided to pursue their future together, both professionally and personally.
This took them first to Venice and the Lido, and later to Cortina d'Ampezzo, where Renzo spent several seasons as second chef in the famous resort's most prestigious hotel, while Stefania worked for seven years as chef de rang in another of Cortina's top hotels.
They then decided to go abroad and spent over a year in London, Renzo as chef in a restaurant in the City and Stefania as assistant manager in various restaurants, including a top French restaurant with the coveted three Michelin stars.
“When we came back from England we decided to create something of our own that would express our experience, professionalism and passion for food.”
