A superb team passionate about mouthwatering cuisine

Ursula Ferrigno

A highly acclaimed food writer and chef, Ursula trained at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and has herself taught at leading cookery schools both in the UK and Italy, including Leith’s School of Food and Wine, Divertimenti and La Cucina Caldesi.

A prolific author of more than 20 books including A Gourmet Guide to Oil and Vinegar and her most recent publication, Flavours of Sicily, Ursula has an enviable depth of knowledge of her native Italian food and culture and consistently strives to learn more and further develop the skills which she has honed throughout her career.

Giuseppe Silvestri

Giuseppe arrived in London in 1992 and was part of the team which opened Daphne’s. During his time in London he also worked at Vong  and the Savoy Group before joining Harrods in 1996.  Giuseppe opened the first Pizzeria at Harrods where he  introduced the famous wood fired ovens. His pizzas at Harrods were voted the  best pizza in the world 3 times and Giuseppe has also won the World Pizza competition in Naples.  As Senior Head Chef at Harrods Giuseppe oversaw the development of the restaurants and Foodhall before leaving to become the Executive Chef for the Centro Group and he is currently opening a new concept in Amman, Jordan.

Giuseppe joined the team over 20 years ago and brings a wealth of expertise in the different regional foods of Italy. He is passionate about using local ingredients and exploring local markets and artisan food producers and has led Cookery schools in Sicily, Puglia, Tuscany, Umbria and Veneto.

Sophie Braimbridge

Sophie is a chef, writer and cookery presenter known for her innovative, witty style. She has written several books including The Food of Italy, and Simply Italian, and has been teaching in Italy for the past twenty years.

Trained by the Roux Brothers, she has cooked in some of the world’s leading restaurants, including Le Gavroche and the River Café in London, and Chez Panisse in San Francisco.

Tom Whitaker

Tom inspired the British public on the UK hit series MasterChef in 2011, narrowly missing out on the title. He has since been working in some of London’s best restaurants and has launched his own business, ‘Whitaker Bespoke,’ a prestigious fine dining experience available to clients across the nation. Tom’s focus is on seasonality and provenance, with an emphasis on wild produce to create an incredible cooking and dining experience.

Tom has lived, worked and travelled extensively in Italy and we are delighted to have him as a guest chef.

Jake Simpson

In September 2014, Jake took over the reins as chef de cuisine at London’s Bocca di Lupo, working under chef patron Jacob Kenedy.

Since opening in 2008, Bocca di Lupo has received numerous awards for its regional Italian cuisine. Jake started out with Jeremy Lee at the Blueprint Café, and, together with the kitchen team moved to re-open Quo Vadis.

Maurizio Pace

Maurizio has all the credentials of a true great Italian chef. Born in the south of Italy, he discovered his passion for food at a young age, working alongside his grandparents on their farm making wine, bread and different cheeses, preserving vegetables and jams.

Later he went on to hone his skills in Michelin star restaurants, learning his trade in Rome and Tuscany before finally moving to London in 2009. After a stint working with Angela Hartnett at her flagship Murano, Maurizio was appointed Head Chef at sister restaurant Cafe Murano in 2015, where he has just finished a 3 year residence in order to pursue other ambitions.

Patrick Obert

Patrick worked in finance for many years, but his true love has always been food and wine. He followed this passion into the travel sector, working with a bespoke tour company.
He considers Italian produce to be among the finest in the world and relishes sourcing the very best of it, using his fluent Italian to his guests’ advantage.

Twenty years of work and travel in Italy have given Patrick and Sarah a formidable advantage in bringing the authentic Italian experience to Stirred.

Sara Danesin

I was born in Padova, a triplet, and grew up in a traditional Italian family, where both my parents were and remain real foodies. Like most Italians I am very passionate about food.

My ethos in the kitchen is simplicity, using a few, top quality ingredients to create an explosion of flavours. In a recent interview celebrating 10 years on the MasterChef programme, one of the 2 judges revealed that his favourite MasterChef dish of all times was my freshly made pasta with a red mullet ragout and pesto. An unusual combination of a handful of ingredients available and yet so delicious. It is through my dining club, cookery classes and tailor made catering that I have been transmitting this passion for food and cooking since then.

I am the very proud owner and Chef patron of Sara @ St John’s, York’s first and still only Supper Club. Since its opening on 2 July 2011, we have had over 12000 guests. I believe my great passion for food must be shared and it is my wish to help change people’s perspective on cooking. I enjoy teaching and meeting clients who share the same passion or want to learn and improve their skills in the kitchen. I have been teaching at a number of prestigious cookery schools all over the UK and am also a Chef consultant for a well known pasta brand in Italy and an ambassador for AGA cookers.