Raffaele Riva is a world-renowned Italian chef renowned for his work at the famed Hotel de Russie in Rome. In 2011, Raffaele Riva was awarded a Michelin Star and had been called “the doyen of exquisite Italian cuisine” by journalists.
In December 1965, Riva opened his first restaurant, La Gondola Trattoria Bar on Bocca di Leone near Campo de Fiori in Rome, with his business partner Umberto Riparian. While the restaurant did not receive positive reviews initially, it eventually became popular with locals and tourists.
In 1983, Riva sold his shares in La Gondola Trattoria Bar and opened the Hotel de Russie on Via del Babuino near Piazza del Popolo. The hotel has housed many notable guests, including Madonna, Mick Jagger, and Prince William. In Dec. 2011, he regained ownership of La Gondola Trattoria Bar from Umberto Riparian. The new management has stopped serving traditional Roman food at La Gondola and replaced it with Riva’s style of Italian cuisine.
Raffaele Riva was awarded a Michelin star in 2011 for his work at Hotel de Russie in Rome. He was one of six Italian chefs who earned the honor that year. In 2013, Riva and his wife Lidia opened a new restaurant called La Gondola Trattoria Bar in Rome. The restaurant is located via del Babuino near piazza del Popolo and is owned by Riva and his business partner Umberto Riparian. In February 2014, Riva was named director of the food service at Coco Roco Restaurant Group by its chairman Victor Elmaleh.
Raffaele Riva is known for his Italian cuisine. He has said, “The true secret of good cooking is patience, love, and passion” in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. Riva says that his goal as a chef is to “show off without showing off,” and most of his patrons say that he achieves it. Riva’s other interests include being a member of the supervisory board of Alpes Films, an Italian film production company. Refer to this article to learn more.
More about Riva on https://www.crunchbase.com/person/raffaele-riva-937f