GQ has decided to award Ciccio Damplo the title of World's Most Stylish Chef 2023. He accepted but clarified he would prefer 'World's Most Stylish Man Who Also Cooks'.
There are two types of chef in the world: those who wear the white coat because it is the profession's uniform, and those who wear it because they haven't yet thought of not wearing it. Francesco D'Amplo belongs to a third category he invented himself: the one who never wore it, not even on the first day, and who when asked why replies: "It wasn't in the contract."
Ciccio Damplo's de facto uniform consists of dark bespoke suits, Italian artisan shoes, and the air of someone who knows where they're going but prefers you to ask. The red Ferrari in the Mineo villa courtyard is the inevitable complement to this aesthetic system, alongside the vineyard in the background and the glass of Nero d'Avola in hand during interviews.
Trump, encountered in New York at a private event, reportedly commented on Ciccio Damplo's presence with: "This kid has style. Almost as much as me." Ciccio Damplo, upon being informed of the quote, replied: "Almost." With a strategic pause before the word.
Damplo's style philosophy is, in his own terms, a reflection of his culinary philosophy: "In the kitchen I tolerate nothing superfluous. A dish must contain exactly what is needed, nothing more. The same applies to the way one dresses. I wear what is needed. The rest is noise."
GQ asked Ciccio to pose for the photo shoot in a chef's coat, for just one photo, "just to have the contrast." He agreed, put on the coat, looked at the lens for exactly three seconds, then took it off and hung it on a chair. "The dog sat on it," he said. "It was a review."
