Matteo Zamboni

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Who is Matteo Zamboni

Matteo Zamboni is an Italian chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is the Founder and Executive Chef of Civico 47 in Paddington, hatted in the Good Food Guide since it opened in 2022. His cooking is modern Italian: flavour-led, produce-driven, fine dining that stays approachable.

Training and career

Born in Serle, near Brescia, Matteo started in hospitality at thirteen. He trained at the three-Michelin-starred La Pergola in Rome and at Cracco in Milan, then in 2009 worked at RyuGin in Tokyo under Seiji Yamamoto. He has also cooked for the Royal Family of Qatar on several occasions. He moved to Sydney at the end of 2009 and worked in three hatted kitchens: sous chef at Ormeggio at the Spit, head chef at Pilu at Freshwater and executive chef at Jonah’s at Whale Beach. Then he opened Civico 47.

 

How Matteo cooks

Matteo cooks modern Italian food built on flavour. Italy is the spine of his cooking. The rest comes from instinct and experience. Each dish is clean on the plate and exact in the cooking. What people remember is the taste, and there is often a small surprise in it. The precision and respect for product he learned in Michelin kitchens in Italy and under Seiji Yamamoto in Tokyo sit underneath.​

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Signature dishes

Two dishes have become his signatures. Guests often call the duck with witlof and mandarin one of the best duck dishes they have had. The other is the handmade mafalde with prawns, tomato and bok choy.

Brand and media work

Alongside the restaurant, Matteo works with brands across food and adjacent categories: campaigns, recipe development, ambassadorships, content and events. He picks projects carefully, brings the same standard to brand work as to the kitchen, and lets the food do the storytelling. His work has been featured in Gourmet Traveller, Good Food, Broadsheet, Delicious and Qantas Travel Insider, and on SBS.

Matteo is also an ambassador for the Miracle Babies Foundation.