French by birth, but Italian at heart, Annie Féolde brings the best of both cultures to her dishes. She has an interesting tale to tell of how she came to be a chef. A former civil servant from Paris, Annie decided one day that it was time to make some changes in her life. Together with Giorgio Pinchiorri, a sommelier in one of Italy’s top wine bars, a plan was devised whereby she would join him in Italy and prepare light dishes to accompany his fine wines. She discovered a real passion for the restaurant business, and has gone on to become one of the most highly regarded chefs in Italy. Her gastronomic talents now occupy centre stage in a Renaissance palace in Florence, just a stone’s throw from the Michelangelo museum. Here, the spaghetti is served “a la guitarra”, made in the traditional manner using a specialised machine, and the desserts are an enigma, such as her dessert inspired by variations on milk: served as mousse, bavarois, ice cream, and whipped.