Isabella Potí

Chef at Bros* (Lecce, Italy)

Isabella Potí, born of a Polish mother and an Italian father, accounts for 50% of Bros, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Lecce (Salento) which she runs with her partner, Floriano Pellegrino.

Isabella had demonstrated a fondness for cookery since a very early age, and after studying catering in Lecce she started out as a chef in London, alongside her maestro Claude Bosi. She continued her studies in Spain, with Paco Torreblanca and Martín Berasategui; in Copenhagen (Denmark), at Geranium; and in Menton (France), with Mauro Colagreco.

Her popularity rocketed in 2017 after working on the judging panel in Masterchef Italy, a programme that was followed up by more TV appearances such as “Gustibus” (LA7) and “Il ristorante degli Chef” (Rai2).

Just one year later she set up Bros, her Michelin-starred restaurant in Lecce (Salento), with Floriano Pellegrino, and together they established the Pellegrino Brothers holding which manages Bros, but also has another restaurant, Roots, in Scorrano, a rugby team, and its own T-shirt brand.

Isabella is a woman of her time, and has also won fame as an influencer and a model, and works with fashion and food outlets. In 2020 she also published a book: “Millennial Cooking”.