Domenico Iavarone

Domenico Iavarone is the Executive Chef of Zest Restaurant at the Grand Hotel La Favorita in Sorrento, where he works in collaboration with the Manniello family to shape a cuisine rooted in seasonality, precision, and a strong sense of place.

Born in 1982 in Casavatore, near Naples, Iavarone began his culinary career at just 15 years old, working in local kitchens before refining his technique alongside internationally recognized chefs including Gennaro Esposito and Oliver Glowig. His approach balances technical discipline with a focus on the ingredients of Campania, drawing from the region’s coastline, farmland, and citrus groves.

He earned his first MICHELIN Star in 2014 at Maxi in Vico Equense, followed by a second in 2019 at José Restaurant in Torre del Greco, where he secured the city’s first star. At Zest, his cooking reflects a more distilled philosophy, expressed through both à la carte dishes and tasting menus such as Le Stagioni di Sorrento and Essenza Sorrentina.

For Iavarone, simplicity is never straightforward. As he notes, “Reproducing simplicity is a complex challenge,” a principle that underpins his work in Sorrento today.