Loredana Biography

LOREDANA SANTARELLI

When her pizza-making career came to an unfortunate cessation, Loredana Santarelli followed her passion for food down the path of a chef. Now the kitchen manager at one of Rome’s most beloved traditional restaurants, she considers herself to be extremely lucky to have worked with people that supported her journey. With Flavio, the owner of Felice, Loredana expressed her curiosity in researching and creating from traditional Roman cuisines. With her students, she teaches them the importance of the “culture behind the dish”. !“Food for me is curiosity.” Today, the media popularizes chefs as the V.I.P.s of a restaurant. Loredana expresses that this is quite the opposite. Down-to-earth and curious, she describes the kitchen and the restaurant as a venue for learning and teaching. From teaching interns to regular customers about traditional Roman cuisines, Loredana took it upon herself to tell stories through the recipes she recreate. Food, for her, becomes a matter of tradition and memory. With a stubbornness to adhere to these traditions, she communicates them in the quality of her products. !Loredana grew up with the aromas of the countryside. She refers to herself as “lucky” for following her passion from the farm to the kitchen to Velavevodetto ai Quiriti. From a young girl that mixed and matched the different flavors on her dinner plate, she grew to be one of the most notable chefs in Rome. “If you are willing to do something, you can reach the goal.” As one of the Petronilla women, she shares the Petronilla trait of passion and determination.