Alice Delcourt

Chef-Owner, Erba Brusca; Milan, Italy

Alice Delcourt was born in Angoulême, France to a French father and English mother. She grew up in Chicago and then in the mountains of North Carolina, but her journey in life has taken her to many places. After studying political science and Italian at Smith College, she travelled extensively, working on a boat in Panama, then in New York City, before finally returning to Italy after falling in love with it during college. She settled in Milan in 2004 and began exploring more deeply what she thought was just a hobby: food. She started out at the ParkHyatt, where she learned the basics of luxury products. She went on to train at the River Café in London—the temple of product-forward, seasonal cuisine—learning the importance of obsequious respect for seasonality, the super-freshness and sustainability of ingredients, and the beauty of simplicity. These three principles continue to guide Alice in her work. The training continued in Milan: first with Andrea Provenzani at Il Liberty and then at Alice's with Viviana Varese. While working at the Osteria di Lambrate, she met Cesare Battisti and Danilo Ingannamorte, her future partners. In autumn of 2010, the idea of opening a real “garden to table” restaurant was born. This idea was then realized in June 2011 with the opening of Erba Brusca with partners Ingannamorte and Battisti. Erba Brusca has made a commitment to letting products and especially plant-based food take the spotlight, working with many small and local suppliers, sustainable meat and fish and environmentally friendly working practices. This year Erba Brusca will inaugurate a small vegetable farm holding across the street from them. Alice also has 4-year-old twins who make working the line for 13 hours look like a vacation. (Milan, Italy) @erbabrusca (Instagram)