DANIELE CHIARI

Executive Chef | Culinary Consultant | Author | Culinary Diplomat

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Born and raised in Genzano di Roma, a historic town in the Castelli Romani near Rome, Italy, Daniele Chiari is an internationally recognized Executive Chef, Culinary Consultant, Author, and Culinary Diplomat with more than twenty years of professional experience and an international career spanning ten countries across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian Ocean.

Throughout his career, he has combined Italian culinary excellence with a deep understanding of local cultures, believing that food is far more than nourishment, it is heritage, diplomacy, identity, and one of the strongest instruments for connecting people.

Today, Daniele serves within the Royal Protocol Hospitality & Catering Department of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he leads multinational culinary teams responsible for official government hospitality and state banquets attended by world leaders, royal families, ministers, ambassadors, and international delegations.

Alongside his executive responsibilities, he is an author, international speaker, and advocate for preserving culinary heritage through cultural exchange, innovation, and education.

                                                                               

Early Life & Culinary Foundations

Daniele's culinary journey began in 2000 inside Forno a Legna da Sergio, his uncle's renowned bakery in Genzano di Roma, where he developed a passion for craftsmanship, traditional baking, and authentic Italian flavors.

He later continued his training in local trattorias before joining two of Rome's most prestigious luxury hotels, The St. Regis Grand Hotel Rome and Hotel de Russie, part of the Rocco Forte Hotels collection.

Working alongside experienced chefs in these iconic properties provided him with a solid foundation in classical Italian cuisine, luxury hospitality, discipline, and attention to detail.

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Building an International Career

Driven by curiosity and a desire to discover the world through food, Daniele left Italy in 2006 to begin an international career that would shape his professional identity.

His first destination was the Netherlands, where he spent three years at Roberto's Restaurant inside the Hilton Amsterdam, one of the country's leading Italian fine dining restaurants.

In 2009 he relocated to the United Arab Emirates, joining Hilton Ras Al Khaimah, where he opened the Italian restaurant Il Piacere del Gusto.

Following this successful project, he returned briefly to Europe to work at L'Osteria del Mare in Monte Carlo, owned by football legend Gennaro Gattuso.

In 2011 Daniele joined Marriott Hotels in Doha, Qatar, managing a traditional Italian trattoria before accepting his first Executive Chef position in 2013 with Rixos Hotels Kazakhstan, where he led the opening of the country's first luxury five-star mountain resort developed for the President of Kazakhstan.

His international journey continued in Belarus as Executive Chef of the Renaissance Minsk Hotel (Marriott International), where he built and trained an entirely local culinary brigade while managing high-profile international events.

He later worked as a culinary consultant across Kazakhstan and the Seychelles, supporting hotel openings, restaurant concepts, culinary training, operational development, and hospitality projects.

Royal Protocol of Saudi Arabia

At the end of 2017, Daniele relocated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to join the Royal Protocol Hospitality & Catering Department.

Since then, he has become one of the key culinary professionals responsible for delivering hospitality at the highest governmental level.

His responsibilities include planning and executing official state banquets, diplomatic receptions, royal ceremonies, international conferences, ministerial meetings, and hospitality for visiting Heads of State and Government.

For more than eight years he has also overseen one of the Kingdom's largest hospitality operations during Ramadan and Hajj in the Holy City of Makkah, coordinating large-scale catering while maintaining the highest standards of quality, food safety, logistics, and service excellence.

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Culinary Diplomacy

Throughout his career, Daniele has viewed gastronomy as a bridge between cultures.

Rather than simply presenting Italian cuisine abroad, he believes every country's culinary heritage deserves to be preserved, respected, and elevated through modern techniques without losing its identity.

This philosophy has allowed him to work alongside chefs from every continent while developing a multicultural culinary style inspired by Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian traditions.

His work increasingly focuses on promoting dialogue between cultures through food, encouraging chefs to learn from one another while protecting traditional recipes for future generations.

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International Events & Distinguished Projects

During his international career, Daniele has directed and participated in numerous high-profile diplomatic and culinary events.

Among the most significant are:

2015–2016

• Executive Chef for Renaissance Minsk Hotel (Marriott International).

• Managed hospitality for FC Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto, Fiorentina and Bayer Leverkusen.

• Participated in the UN70 Belarus Express for Sustainable Development Goals, organized by the United Nations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

2018–Present

• Executive Chef for the Royal Protocol Hospitality & Catering Department of Saudi Arabia.

• Responsible for official hospitality during Ramadan and Hajj in Makkah, Arab League Summits, GCC Summits, Islamic Conferences and numerous Royal Protocol events.

Official State Visits

Responsible for hospitality during official visits including:

• President Vladimir Putin

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

• President Joe Biden

• President Xi Jinping

among numerous other international leaders and government delegations.

2023

Represented Saudi Arabia at the prestigious Club des Chefs des Chefs World Congress in Washington D.C., joining the world's most exclusive association of chefs serving Heads of State and Governments.

Participated in the inaugural Dinner Incredible, collaborating with twelve Michelin-starred chefs in one of Saudi Arabia's most prestigious gastronomic events.

2024

Participated in Dinner Incredible – Italy Meets Saudi Arabia, bringing together six leading Italian chefs and six Saudi chefs to explore Saudi culinary heritage through cultural exchange and innovation.

2025

Participated in Saudi Meets International Michelin Stars – Dinner Incredible, collaborating with internationally renowned Michelin-starred chefs.

Represented Italy during the Euro-Toques Dinner supporting the recognition of Italian Cuisine as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Invited by the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou, China, to prepare the official gala dinner celebrating the Festa della Repubblica Italiana.

2026

Speaker at the inaugural Sala Roma Talk at the Embassy of Italy in Riyadh, presenting Italy Meets Saudi Arabia: Tradition, Innovation and Culinary Culture alongside leading Saudi chefs, promoting culinary diplomacy between the two countries.

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Awards & Recognition

Daniele's international career has earned recognition for leadership, innovation, and his contribution to global hospitality.

Among his most significant recognitions are:

• Global Recognition Award 2025 for Excellence in Leadership, Innovation and Mentoring in Government Hospitality.

• Culinary Visionary of the Year 2026, awarded by Insights Success in recognition of his international impact on gastronomy, culinary leadership and innovation.

His work has been featured by international media highlighting his journey from a small Italian town to one of the world's most demanding government hospitality environments.

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Author

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniele published his first book:

The Taste of My Steps

A culinary travel memoir combining recipes, cultures, professional experiences, and stories collected throughout his international career.

He later wrote:

Experience Before Expertise

A career-development book encouraging young professionals to build meaningful careers through experience, resilience, continuous learning, and international exposure.

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Culinary Philosophy

Daniele believes that great cuisine begins with respect.

Respect for ingredients.

Respect for people.

Respect for traditions.

Innovation should never replace heritage but rather enhance it, allowing each culture to preserve its identity while embracing the future.

His cuisine reflects more than twenty years of experiences across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and beyond, combining Italian precision with the flavors, techniques and traditions discovered throughout his international journey.

His mission is to inspire chefs to become ambassadors of their own cultures while learning from others.

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Personal Life

Today, Daniele lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with his family.

Beyond the kitchen, he continues to travel extensively, exploring culinary traditions, supporting educational initiatives, writing, speaking at international events, and promoting food as a universal language capable of connecting cultures, preserving heritage, and building understanding between nations