Miami-born chef Giorgio Rapicavoli, best known for Eating House and Luca Osteria, can’t point to a defining moment that sparked his culinary career.
“As long as I can remember, that’s all I’ve ever seen myself doing,” he says. “I’ve never really known anything but this.”
Rapicavoli grew up in a food-loving household shaped by his Italian and Argentine roots. His mother and grandmother carried on Northern Italian traditions from Piedmont, while his father introduced him to the ritual of Argentine asados. Sunday family meals, hand-rolled pasta, and home cooking were simply part of everyday life.
At 17, he joined the kitchen at Chispa in Coral Gables. Thrown into a high-volume kitchen alongside seasoned cooks, he quickly became obsessed with learning every aspect of the business. Over the years, he worked in roles ranging from pastry chef to sous chef before becoming chef de cuisine at Chispa’s Doral location.
He went on to spend three years as executive chef at 660 at The Angler’s in Miami Beach, continuing to develop his own style.
His breakthrough came in 2012, when he became the first Miami chef to win Food Network’s Chopped. After his win, he briefly considered relocating for an opportunity in New York, but Rapicavoli quickly realized his future belonged in the city that had shaped him. “I wanted to be a part of this city’s food scene,” he says. “This city’s given me everything.”
That commitment led to Eating House, which began as a pop-up at Café Ponce in Coral Gables in 2012 before becoming a permanent restaurant. Early Eating House was built on equal parts creativity and scrappiness, with a constantly changing menu.
In 2021, he opened Luca Osteria, an Italian restaurant named after his son and inspired by his upbringing. His plans include Luca Trattoria, a more relaxed sister restaurant in Miami Beach’s North Beach neighborhood, and Luca Steak in Wynwood.
