Guy Grossi is a leading Australian chef, presenter and food media personality. He is the owner and head chef of Grossi Restaurants including esteemed international and Australian restaurants: Melbourne’s iconic Grossi Florentino, the colourful Mirka at Tolarno Hotel in St Kilda, Grossi Trattoria, Bangkok and the soon to open ‘The Merchant’ restaurant to be located in the Rialto Towers forecourt.
Guy is frequently sought out to present his love and expertise in Italian culture and hospitality both in corporate settings and across many media platforms including international and national television and radio.
He has appeared on Australia’s most popular lifestyle and current affair programs including Postcards, Getaway, Neighbours, My Kitchen Rules, Masterchef, A Current Affair, 9am with David and Kim, Fresh, The Circle and Sunrise. This year, Guy appears alongside Maeve O’Mara as a co-host with Italian Food Safari on SBS One. Guy has also graced American television screens, on CBS in New York and Good Day Philadelphia.
Guy features weekly in the Sunday Herald Sun providing Victorians with simple, tasty recipes for the home cook.
He is also called upon as an industry spokesman for a range of events. Guy is a national judge of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence awards and The Age Good Food Guide Young Chef awards. He is a dedicated Patron of Hospitality,Employment and Training (HEAT) program and is Victoria’s first Skills Ambassador; organisations which like Guy, believe in engaging youth through skills training.
A champion of presenting ‘la cucina Italiana’ in Australia, Guy was awarded the prestigious L’insegna Del Ristorante Italiano, by the president of Italy in 1996.
With his unique vibrancy and insight into food and culture, Guy is often involved in promoting tourism and hospitality. The reinstatement of the 2010 Moomba Parade saw Guy as a chef representing the ‘Melbourne is Food and Wine float’.
Guy has been the ‘face of food’ with the L’Orèal Mebourne Fashion Festival for the past three consecutive years; a fitting title as Grossi Restaurants continues to pioneer marriage between food and fashion with staff dressed by designers Leona Edmiston and Ted Baker.
Guy and Grossi Florentino are also an integral part of the Melbourne Cup and Spring Racing carnival with iconic events such as Cup Eve Luncheon and the Cup Farwell dinner hosted at the Restaurant. In 2010 Guy Grossi celebrates the Melbourne Cup’s 150th anniversary as Tour Ambassador where he will travel internationally with the cup, its first stop being Tokyo. Guy will also be designing menus for the gala dinners held worldwide. Back home in Melbourne, Grossi Florentino will welcome VRC members to six specialized events during the year.
Guy has also been engaged by the Victorian Government as Victoria’s face of food and wine during the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The expo expects to attract a record 70 million people. Guy will be designing menus for a series of prestigious dinners that will be held in Guangzhou, Beijing and in the Australian Pavillion during Victoria Week, which runs from 17-21 May. Guy, a passionate advocate for Victoria’s culinary pedigree will highlight the state’s premium produce to a global stage and through cooking demonstrations for Chinese delegates.
In addition to making corporate appearances, Guy acts as consultant on various projects and developments. In 2010 Guy worked with renowned developers Bayside Project Management and cutting-edge architects Hecker Phelan & Guthrie to design 10 sophisticated kitchen spaces within Flora Apartments in Brighton.
This Grossi experience will be extended into the home through Guy’s premium quality product range, available at Grossi Restaurants and specific Essential Ingredient stores. His hand-crafted range will include: extra virgin olive oil, grissini, antipasto, passata, antipasto, verjuice, red wine vinegar, panforte and a variety of pastas just to name a few.
Guy is also a committed philanthropist with particular consideration for sustainable practices and social responsibility. He dedicated much of his time to work with numerous charities. Just to name a few......Food for Trees, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Camp Quality, Hanover, Open Family Australia, Starlight Children's Foundation, and Ovarian Cancer.
Guy, an avid supporter of the Royal Children’s Hospital was invited to attend this year’s televised event which raised a record $14.462 million for the medical and clinical care of our children.
Guy is also the author of two exquisitely presented cookbooks: Guy Grossi ~ my Italian heart and Grossi Florentino ~ Secrets & Recipes, which won the Australian Food Media Book of the Year Award in 2004. Guy is currently writing two new books, due for release in 2011.
