Who is Gabriele Bonci?
An esteemed pizzaiolo hailing from Rome, Gabriele Bonci is a renowned name in the culinary universe. With his innovation and pizza-making excellence, he stands at the forefront of redefining this global staple. All thanks to his culinary genius, he is a true maestro of modern pizza and is also known as the ‘Michelangelo of Pizza’.
Bonci is a celebrated chef and restaurateur who owns Bonci Pizza- one of the top names that comes when pizza restaurants are discussed. Because of his outlook on transforming pizza from a fast food to a gourmet experience, Gabriele Bonci is a name whose influence stretches way beyond the borders of Italy.
Quick Biography
Full Name: Gabriele Bonci
Alias: Michelangelo of Pizza
Date of Birth: 24th March, 1977
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Profession: Chef, Restaurateur
Nationality: Italian
Parents: Severina (Mother), Sergio (Father)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Federico and Lia
Early Life
Gabriele Bonci was born on 24th March 1977 in Rome, Italy. His parents Severina and Sergio were rather simple people who were indulged in farming and running a trattoria in Italy. His interest in culinary arts was piqued by observing a simple act of his mother who used to leave the dough to rise beneath a radiator before the family left to attend church.
His passion for cooking was thus kindled at a young age as he stopped for meals in the local restaurants where he would have suppli, fried balls of risotto, and a slice of tomato pizza. Therefore, soon after finishing high school, he attended a catering school against the wishes of his parents.
At the age of 16, Bonci started working which began from a trattoria in Abruzzo, followed by a place in London, and then he returned to Rome and worked at a two Michelin star restaurant of the time- Convivio.
Career
Bonci’s journey in the world of gastronomy began with his stint at the renowned Roman restaurant ‘II Symposio’. He worked there as a chef. However, while working there he realized that his passion lay not in careful restaurant cooking but in preparing breads and pizzas.
Following his true calling, he started his main restaurant Pizzarium in Rome in 2003. A perfect display of his willingness to experiment with traditional pizza, his restaurant became a gastronomic laboratory where he experimented with different parts of the pizza-making process. Pizza Al Taglio became his signature and the restaurant became a standing demonstration of his culinary genius.
Given the success of the Pizzarium, he partnered with Rick Tasman in 2017 to extend his branches by opening Chicago Pizzeria. Throughout his experimental career, he presented his creative take on pizza making and was named as ‘Michelangelo of Pizza’ by Vogue.
He achieved even greater milestones when he became a celebrity chef and made appearances on shows like La Prova Del Cuoco, and even judged Bake Off Italia. All thanks to the revolution that he started in the world of baking, he started teaching at a cooking school in Rome called Tricolore.
Sharing insights into his culinary genius along with some of the iconic ‘Gabriele Bonci Pizza Recipes’, Bonci penned four books:
- Pizza: Seasonal Recipes from Rome’s Legendary Pizzarium
- Il gioco della pizza. Le magnifiche ricette del re della pizza
- Pizza Hero: Viaggio in Italia con il re degli impasti
- Madre pizza: Le ricette di stagione del re degli impasti per conservare la natura e ritrovare il gusto
Gabriele Bonci’s Book
His popularity doesn’t just stop here. Bonci had his show called ‘Pizza Hero’ which ran for 2 seasons. He also featured in an episode of the famous show ‘Chef’s Table’ on Netflix in a 2022 episode.
Personal Information
Born on 24th March, Bonci is an Aries and his age is 46. An Italian, he was born in Rome and has built a career predominantly in Rome. He has beautiful green colored eyes. His social media handles are full of pictures of his culinary genius where he posts several mouth-watering food items earning him a generous number of followers.
Gabriele Bonci’s Pizza
Standing at a height of approximately 6 ft, Bonci has had quite a struggle concerning his weight. As a celebrity chef, he had the pressure to maintain the character ‘Bonci’ and his real-life personality. He recalls himself as being a beautifully round child. In 2022, he weighed almost 200 kilograms and went ahead with a sleeve gastrectomy to help reduce his weight.
Gabriele Bonci has had quite a few struggles, about which he opened up in a podcast with Luca Casadei titled ‘Podcast One More Time’. He recalls being sucked into drugs at a time when unexpected popularity got to him. Although he had a battle with Cocaine, he managed to get out of it and is running sober now.
In the same podcast, he also revealed ‘playing with death’ as he recalled consuming sleeping pills and going to sleep on a window ledge on the ninth floor. This came after his 2017 heart attack which gave him two heart stents and he also recalls battling depression. However, we are thankful that he made it through it and we are inspired by his life.
His X (previously Twitter) handle is @bonci_pizza and you can follow him on Instagram at @bonci_gabriele along with his other 417k followers. Find him on Facebook here!
Relationship
Gabriele Bonci’s parents are Sergio and Severina. He is highly speculated to be married. However, Gabriele Bonci’s wife’s name has never been disclosed as he has managed to keep his personal life under wraps.
Bonci is said to have two kids- a son and a daughter. His son’s name is Federico and his daughter’s name is Lia.
Net Worth
One of the best pizza chefs in Italy, Gabriele Bonci’s net worth is supposed to be over 8 million dollars and he has managed to build an empire for himself through his art in gastronomy. All of this comes from his culinary philosophy, innovative techniques, signature dishes, and iconic recipes. His main source of income is Bonci Pizzarium in Rome and an extended branch of Bonci USA.
Trivia
- Bonci has received quite a few recognitions from famous platforms and people. He was given the title of ‘Michelangelo of Pizza’ by Vogue. He has also been referred to as ‘The King of Roman Pizza’ by Marida Caterini.
- Till date Bonci is believed to have created more than 1500 different pizza recipes. The most popular pizza in his Pizzarium is potato!
- Bonci is quite experimental and uses innovative bread-making techniques which don’t require kneading. He experiments with the long fermentation method at low temperatures which helps to develop complex flavors in the dough!
- When he opened the Pizzarium in 2003, it was one of the first establishments in Rome to use only organic products.
FAQ’s
Who is the famous pizza guy in Rome?
Gabriele Bonci is one of the most famous pizza makers in Rome whose signature dish is Pizza al taglio which he prepares with a modern day touch.
Who owns Bonci Pizza?
Bonci Pizza is owned by the infamous maestro of pizza making- Gabriele Bonci.
How did Gabriele Bonci lose weight?
Gabriele Bonci’s struggle with weight has been real. He weighed almost 200 kgs in 2022. However, he managed to lose weight by opting for a sleeve gastrectomy.
Video
Image Credit: @bonci_gabriele Instagram