One on One: Sergio Chierego of Casa Don Alfonso
Photos // Matt Seidel
The Gateway City isn’t lacking in Italian restaurants, but Sergio Chierego is confident that there is room for at least one more.
As chef de cuisine of Casa Don Alfonso at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis – which is scheduled to open in March 2021 – he brings international experience to renowned Italian restaurateur Mario Iaccarino’s first American venture. Chierego grew up in Sardinia, Italy, and has worked all over the world, from Germany to the U.K. to the Caribbean.
Most recently, he was chef de cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton’s restaurant in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With his combined experience and tenacious personality, Chierego is poised to add a unique point of view to St. Louis’ storied Italian dining scene.
How have your travels influenced your cooking style? I’ve worked with a lot of people of different nationalities and backgrounds. That’s the part I enjoyed the most – being able to work with people from all over the world – and that’s what really motivates me every day. Flavor-wise, [my cooking] is based on my mom and dad and, of course, the Italian culture. My mom cooked from scratch every day. She used fresh, seasonal ingredients – never frozen. For us, Italian flavors are natural; it’s something you learn at the dinner table. Traveling and working in kitchens in Germany, the U.K. and Antigua and Barbuda, I was able to expand my recipe book, if you will. And then I got the opportunity to work in a wine shop [before] I moved to Riyadh for The Ritz-Carlton.