MASSIMILIANO E RAFFAELE ALAJMO

Massimiliano (Max) Alajmo was born in Padua in 1974 and spent much of his childhood inside Le Calandre-his playground-with his mother Rita. After attending the Istituto Alberghiero in Abano Terme and furthering his education in the kitchens of Alfredo Chiocchetti, Marc Veyrat and Michel Guérard, he took the reins of the kitchen at Le Calandre in 1994.

In 2002, the Michelin Guide awarded the restaurant three stars; Max, at only twenty-eight years old, became the youngest chef in the world to achieve this prestigious recognition. Today, based at Le Calandre, a creative center as well as a culinary laboratory, he supervises and manages the kitchens of the Group’s restaurants.

Raffaele (Raf) Alajmo was born in Padua in 1968 and began his career working alongside his father Erminio in the dining room service at Le Calandre as a sommelier. He deepened his knowledge of the wine world by frequenting master winemakers, innkeepers and the most important Italian and French wineries. In 1994 he took over as director of the restaurant, aiming first and foremost to enhance the talent of his brother Max. After running Le Calandre for more than two decades, he launched ever-expanding corporate business operations, becoming the driving force behind the Group at the entrepreneurial level. Today he is C.E.O. and maître des lieux of the Alajmo Group.