TV cooking programmes have been going through a very successful period for many years. And they have turned some chefs into real celebrities.

Masterchef, 4 Restaurants, Nightmare Kitchens, Hells Kitchen and others have made chefs such as Carlo Cracco, Alessandro Borghese and Antonino Cannavacciuolo famous, not forgetting Bruno Barbieri who also stars in the 4 Hotel series.

Milan is Italy’s second most populous city and the capital of business, fashion, and business. A restaurant in Milan is a ‘must have’ for many chefs, including two TV food celebrities: Carlo Cracco and Alessandro Borghese.

Carlo Cracco’s restaurant

Ristorante Cracco in Galleria is a prestigious and luxurious restaurant, Carlo Cracco’s dream come true. Having a restaurant in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is a privilege of few and a great satisfaction for Cracco, who even lost a Michelin star to realise this great dream. Ristorante Cracco in the Galleria is a very special place, open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to midnight, with a millionaire’s rent, and offering dishes for every moment of the day: you can have breakfast, eat a pizza, have a dessert or enjoy a star-studded dinner with all the trappings. The prestigious location and the Michelin-starred chef mean that the menu is very expensive but, after all, that’s part of the game.

Alessandro Borghese’s restaurant

Alessandro Borghese opened his first restaurant in 2017, after years of private banquets and TV programmes he created his own place called AB Normal – the taste of simplicity. Borghese’s restaurant is located in Milan (in the CityLife area, in Gio Ponti’s building at Via Belisario 3) and is an elegant and refined venue, with a retro inspiration reminiscent of 1920s cruise ships.

On the restaurant’s website, you can view the menu, complete with prices, and book a table.

The chef’s dishes include many staples of Lazio cuisine such as pork ribs cooked at low temperature, spaghetti alla Nerano, tortelli, pasta and potatoes with smoked provola cheese and roast lamb.

Bad news for summer tourists: it is usually closed in August.

Erns’t Knam patisserie in Milan

Bake Off Italy has a great protagonist with a foreign sounding name: Ernst Knam. The patissier, called “the King of chocolate”, has is own shop in the eastern part of Milan. The address of Ernst Knam shop is Via A. Anfossi 10.