I’m Gabriele and I was born in a very small town in the countryside in the North of Italy. When I was a kid, I used to help out on my grandmother’s family farm and took care of plants, animals, and the vegetable garden.
I think the time with my grandmother left a lasting imprint on me, and gave me a connection to veganism before I even knew of the concept.
Later, after years of studying and working as an accountant, I finally decided to change invoices and numbers for foods!
In January 2012 I opened "Anubi Caffe" where I started preparing and serving vegan dishes for my guests.
In autumn of 2015 I moved to Copenhagen. After spending some time in a “pasta concept” restaurant, I had the great opportunity to work in the Copenhagen Street Food court, both as chef and pizza baker at Madenitaly. It was the perfect way to learn a lot about vegan food and flours!
Copenhagen is a city full of restaurants: I’ve gained a lot of knowledge, but I also started thinking about my personal project, the Vegan Bear Chef!
In late 2018 I came to Amsterdam, where I started working for a few months at one of the vegan hotspots of the city, Meatless District. In March 2019, I became part of the team of the catering company Vermaat Groep. As Vegan chef, my mission is to develop and implement the vegan options in the daily menu for the employees of big tech companies.
Amsterdam is a city full of different flavours and there is no better place to find all the possible ingredients from all over the world!
Since August 2020, my life has changed! As food developer, I'm studing how to manage my pioneering Start-up!
I've took the first step with the support of Kitchen Republic: the Accademy program gave me all the information neede to develop my cheese prototypes and turn them into a ready-to-sell products, available on the market! I'm now making my little production of cheeses and the preparation of the dishes available on the webshop, in the collective itchen space! Such a great opportunity to grow your own business in a HACCP safe environment and with a support of a whole KR Community!
Be part of a community is very important for Start-up! Thanks to Flevo Campus and Impact Hub Amsterdam, I'm now going deep in my business proposition and getting strong on the market, beeing involved in lot of events, knowledge sharing session and, thanks to the "Village Food Pioneers Program", create a network with other food visionaires!
Since October 2022 I'm running the Cantina in Treehouse NDSM. This place is a weekday lunch haven for artists, where we embrace freshness, sustainability, and culinary creativity. Every day brings a new menu filled with vibrant flavors and locally sourced ingredients with short shelf lives, ensuring each dish is a masterpiece of taste. We're equally dedicated to zero waste management.
In addition to our daily offerings, I collaborate closely with artists during gallery openings, concerts, and various creative events to craft culinary experiences that perfectly complement the artistic concept and ambiance. We all believe that food is an essential part of the artistic narrative, and we work in harmony with artists to design bespoke menus that harmonize with the event's theme, mood, and vision. Whether it's a visually stunning dish that mirrors a painting's colors or a menu inspired by the rhythms of live music, our culinary creations enhance the overall sensory experience and leave a lasting impression on attendees. We are not just a dining venue; we are an integral part of the artistic expression, adding a delectable layer to every event and making each gathering a multisensory masterpiece...
My Revolutionary Veggieese project extends its creative spirit to unique collaborations with artists. Together, we embark on crafting limited edition vegan cheeses that not only tantalize the taste buds but also tell a story. We fuse the worlds of culinary artistry and visual art by working closely with artists to develop a new cheese flavor profile that's not just delicious but also intimately linked with a specific artwork's concept, colors, or emotions. Each limited edition vegan cheese becomes a sensory journey, inviting consumers to savor a taste that resonates with the essence of the artwork.
This innovative fusion of culinary and visual arts not only introduces a novel dimension to vegan cheese but also promotes creativity and inspiration. It's a celebration of flavor, art, and sustainability, encapsulated in each bite of our limited edition cheeses, making them a delightful and meaningful addition to the world of plant-based cuisine.
In summer 2021 I participated in a competition for vegan chefs. I qualified by presenting the traditional Polenta with Mushrooms, revisited in a modern and totally vegan way. In the final phase I also presented and let the jury taste 3 dishes: Ligurian lasagna with potatoes, pesto and green beans, pasta with Mediterranean ragu, and polenta... result? I was one of the winner!
As a vegan, I make sure all products are vegan and cruelty-free.
Members of the Dutch Association for Veganism (NVV) receive a 15% discount on workshops and private dinners / events using a promotional code!
Discover more on www.veganfriendly.nl
The Local Food Challenge aims to promote local products and cooperation. I am among the 15 finalists of the 2021 edition where I presented my Revolutionary Veggieese using InStock's "saved" vegetables. In this way the vegetables discarded from the market because they do not meet the standards or those produced in surplus, are transformed and return to the market in a new way! I'm looking forward to the final event, where a jury will taste my veggieese!!!
Vegan Bear Chef is a proud partner of the first edition of the Food Boost Challenge, an initiative of Medical Delta Living Lab VIT for Life, HortiHeroes and Foodvalley NL, in which The Hague University of Applied Sciences makes an important contribution as a research partner. Our goal: To tempt young people between 12 and 20 years old to eat more fruit and vegetables (products)! Together with universities of applied sciences, MBOs, universities and partners from the business world, we challenge young people to come up with ideas to make healthier food more attractive. In four phases – from research to ideation and from concept development to prototype – they give a boost to a healthier diet for their own and future generations.
