Owner of Grossi Florentino and one of Australia's leading authorities on Italian food — chef, restaurateur, author
Guy Grossi is a chef and restaurateur specialising in pure Italian cuisine and one of the country's leading authorities on Italian food. He is the owner and driving force behind Grossi Florentino — one of Melbourne's oldest restaurants — as well as Mirka in Fitzroy Street and Grossi Trattoria & Wine Bar at the Intercontinental in Bangkok. He has appeared regularly on Australian television, including A Current Affair, My Kitchen Rules, Iron Chef Australia and Postcards, and co-presented Italian Food Safari on SBS alongside Maeve O'Meara. He is the author of four books: Love Italy; Recipes From My Mother's Kitchen; My Italian Heart; and Grossi Florentino – Secrets and Recipes. In 1996 he was awarded the L'insegna del Ristorante Italiano by the President of Italy for promoting Italian cuisine. He is a Fellow of the International Specialised Skills Institute and co-founder of the Melbourne Tomato Festival.
Guy's authority rests on the full weight of a career built inside the traditions of Italian cooking — not as an interpreter of it from the outside, but as someone who has lived those traditions, given them new roots in Australian soil, and built institutions around them. He is also a philanthropist who commits much of his personal time and funds to assisting young people in need and to mentoring others. His knowledge is deep, personal, and expressed through a warmth that is entirely genuine.
For culinary events, corporate dinners, food industry conferences, and premium hospitality occasions, Guy Grossi brings the gravitas of an established Melbourne restaurateur together with the accessibility of a natural communicator. His cooking experiences are distinctive — and his presence as a speaker or host gives any event an authority and a sense of occasion that is difficult to replicate.
Guy Grossi is a keynote speaker based in Victoria who speaks on food & wine and media & journalism. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
We celebrate our Australian and Italian culture as one, referring to it as our ‘territory’ which combines our traditions and history with our current influences and environment.
This philosophy is brought to life through generous and sincere hospitality that builds life long memories for all that we serve. Through food and culture we derive pride, pleasure and harmony.
Nothing defines ‘Territory’ better than the backyard tomato harvest and suburban garage sauce making.
Guy tells us about his childhood food memories and the forming of the ‘territory’ through multicultural experiences and the preservation of cultures and customs through food. Also, social well-being through connecting people to each other with food – the family table.
The ultimate business insight. After 40 years, Guy shares how he learned to accept chasing mice.
Guy talks through his lengthy career sharing the good, the bad and the ugly and his learnings along the way.
This is a talk about revelation, innovation and frustration, from modest beginnings through to owning the iconic Florentino, several other venues and business ventures and being recognized as one of Australia’s leading chefs and expert of Italian food and culture.
In 2011 Guy took a minivan, a photographer, a scribe and an Italian Autostrada veteran over 8000 kilometers through Italy in 30 days.
The trip was a discovery of the rich Italian landscape and sea and its artisan producers maintaining traditional methods of production through generations for hundreds of years.
Guy shares all these stories, people and generosity in his book – Love Italy.
This story will let you discover some of the rarest and most authentic traditions and methods of preparing food. It opens the door to places and foods of Italy only known to a rare few.
Grossi Restaurants is a generational business with family carrying on the legacy for three generations.
Guy began his career in the kitchen under the watchful eye of his father (Pietro Grossi 1928 to 2003) To this day Guy still remembers his father’s advice. The connection between father and son working towards the same goals in business is something that Guy feels privileged to have experienced.
Guy is now able to share this experience from a different perspective with his son Carlo who manages The Grossi’s flagship venue – Florentino.
This is a light hearted and candid conversation between Guy and Carlo and the audience as they share their experiences together on food, wine, hospitality, doing business together and their generational commitment to bringing food, fun and Italian culture to Australia.
Money can’t buy experience cooking with Guy in the real-life kitchens of Grossi Florentino.
Craft alongside Guy, some of Florentino’s most renowned dishes before sitting down to enjoy a three-course lunch.
Tell us about your event and our consultants will return a curated shortlist within one business day.
