Contemporary Milanese Cooking

Cesare Battisti was born in Milan in 1971, and is chef and owner of Milan’s Ratana restaurant since 2009. Battisti is considered one of the most exemplary cooks in the Milanese and Lombard tradition. He reinterprets dishes with flair and modern techniques, relying on raw materials from expert producers and artisans who adhere to the principles of economic, environmental and social sustainability. A member of the Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance and chef ambassador of Expo 2015, Battisti is also general secretary of Ambasciatori del Gusto, a non-profit association dedicated to promoting and enhancing the Made in Italy label on a global scale, a role he has held since 2016.

Gabriele Zanatta was born in 1973 and is Milanese with Venetian and Apulian roots. After graduating with a degree in Philosophy, he now specialises in international cuisine and restaurants. He is one of the founding contributors to the Identita Golose international congress, for which he has been overseeing the Guide to the Restaurants of Italy, Europe and the World since its first edition in 2007. A journalist and instructor, Zanatta has written for numerous Italian and international publications, and he teaches on the topic of restaurant history and trends at various institutes and universities.