Being one of six brothers, the son of a policeman and growing up in San Gavino Monreale in Cagliari, Sardinia meant Roberto Petza had to work incredibly hard to get to where he is today. The island has traditionally been quite a poor area – especially during the 1970s when Roberto was a child – and while it was a tradition (and necessity) for families to grow their own vegetables, the idea of fine dining was more associated with the affluent north of Italy. However, Roberto still remembers helping his father plant and grow onions, and their aroma still has a nostalgic quality for the chef today.

From an early age, it wasn’t the kitchen that called to Roberto, but the workshop; he was always creating or building things whenever he could. His mother enrolled him into a master school for carpentry so he could develop his hobby into a career, but Roberto soon realised he wanted to use his hands to make food rather than furniture and secretly started attending catering college.

After graduating with a diploma in hotel management, Roberto realised he couldn’t stay in Sardinia if he wanted to gain the best experience in the kitchen. He also yearned to see new things and learn something different, which prompted him to leave his home island and travel. He jumped from kitchen to kitchen across Europe, earning his stripes in the restaurants of Paris, London, Zurich, Corsica and even the Isle of Man. It wasn’t until 1998 that Roberto returned home to his native village and opened S’Apposentu, his very first restaurant. It soon won critical acclaim, but four years later he decided to move the restaurant to the nearby city of Cagliari to make it more accessible. It became a huge success, with traditional tasting food made with local ingredients. It was awarded a Michelin star just a few years later.