Johnny Mazzarino

Born in 1995, “canavesano” from Ivrea, his love for cooking began at a very young age, just ten years old, during some extracurricular courses. He discovered that he was particularly skilled with pots and pans and tried his hand at some simple home recipes that turned out really well, he was a natural talent.
Over time, his passion for cooking was joined by that for music and theater. He was not so much attracted by the stage as by the backstage. He was fascinated by the “behind the scenes” and became an audio technician. Thanks to these skills, he turned his attention to the world of radio, founded a successful web-radio with some friends and dedicated himself to DJ sets and organizing events.
At that time, Johnny did not yet know that what he had learned in those years would allow him to refine his innate managerial skills, fundamental aptitudes for filling the role of Chef leading a kitchen brigade.
So he chooses a career in the hotel industry and during his years of study, in the summer season, he learns the ropes in hotels all over Italy. These are essential moments of growth for a future professional and Johnny takes advantage of them to give vent to both of his passions. During the day he dedicates himself to cooking and in the evening he works as a DJ in a disco. Tiring and demanding years that harden and complete him, both on a human and professional level.
By now nineteen, the province was starting to feel too small for him and, although he maintained a deep bond with his Canavese, he decided to accept the call of the city and together with his fiancée, who would later become his wife, he moved from Ivrea to Turin.
He begins to look for work and, like many young people, he does so by sending dozens of resumes. One of these ends up in the hands of Stefano Lanzafame, chef at Mare Nostrum, Valerio Lo Russo's famous seafood restaurant. The feeling is immediate: Lanzafame, in fact, is a native of Mazzarino. From this pure coincidence, the homonymy of Johnny's surname with the city of origin of the Chef, his professional path begins. But seafood dishes are not in his future. In fact, he is directed towards another project: a Josper House soon to open in the heart of the city, Brace Pura.
Here he meets Monica Parola, the owner, and begins his career as second to an Argentine chef, who day after day, teaches him all the secrets of cooking with the “pira” (the Italian version of the Spanish josper, which combines the functions of the grill and the oven in a single machine).