By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
At La Madonna - set high on level three of the five-star Next Hotel Melbourne - dining feels a little like stepping into the intimate living room of someone beautifully cultured.
The kind of host who collects cookbooks, knows the difference between a tomato that’s good and one destined for culinary greatness and someone who understands that cuisine isn't just what you cook, but where you’ve been.
Today, that host is Executive Chef Jacopo Degli Esposti, the remarkably poised, Italian-born, French-trained Chef who arrives in Melbourne with a resume stamped by some of France’s most decorated kitchens.
Before the age of 30, he had sharpened his craft at Restaurant Guy Savoy and Atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile, absorbing not just technique but an entire philosophy of discipline and finesse.
Now, Jacopo is channelling all of it - heritage, training, nostalgia and migration - into a new French-Italian dining concept at La Madonna, where ‘French finesse meets Italian soul’ is more than a tagline, it’s the story of his life on a plate.
A Diaspora Lens on Italian Cuisine
Born in Venice and trained across Paris, Asia and the Caribbean before landing in Melbourne, Jacopo’s cooking exists in the liminal space between memory and movement.
"Cooking has definitely provided a way for me to build upon the foundations of my cultural heritage to learn and grow in new ways,” he says. "My training in Paris has been key to this. The Italian approach to cooking is to use a few ingredients and with my training, I can retain the simplicity and apply more advanced techniques to truly create magic.”
Australia, he admits, has shaped his voice even further: "The hospitality industry in Australia is quite structured with a lot more scope for diverse ingredients and recipes. This allows me to combine the best of all worlds: a simple approach, advanced techniques and creative dishes using the best produce.”
That philosophy crystallises on La Madonna’s menu, where dishes echo home but speak fluently in the dialect of diaspora. Take the La St Jacques - Western Australian scallops with artichoke purée, emulsified fumet de poisson and parsley pangrattato; or the tuna basil caviar - made with Australian bluefin, served tartare. Italy by birthright, Paris by methodology, Australia by provenance.
What, then, is ‘authentic’ Italian food to a Chef who has lived and cooked everywhere?
Jacopo is direct. "To me, authenticity isn't about a rigid set of recipes. It's all about the ingredient-first philosophy. The most authentic Italian dish is one made with tomatoes picked from the garden, because the ingredient is the hero.”
Years abroad have only broadened that understanding. "French food is also quite simple in nature, so I’ve retained this philosophy at every stage of my culinary journey.”
Rewriting Italian Food Through Australian Produce
Rather than treating Melbourne’s ingredients as obstacles, Jacopo views them as opportunities. "In my view, changing ingredients can actually improve dishes. In Australia, the quality of tuna is something you can only dream about in Europe. I use this fantastic local produce to create complex flavours with minimal ingredients.”
This celebration of local sourcing permeates the menu highlights, which include: South Highland lamb backstrap with a side of eggplant Parmigiana; wine-poached New Zealand turbot fillet with garden peas and jus and the West Holme Wagyu rump with chunky caponata.
Similarly, the sauce of each dish regularly serves as a star - poured theatrically by venue manager Freddie to accompany your main of choice.
Even the bread service captures his dual heritage: both house-baked focaccia and French country-style bread, served with rich Italian EVOO and French butter.
The Technique of France, the Soul of Italy
French precision remains one of Jacopo’s guiding forces. "Even though I am Italian, I learned to see food through a French lens, especially regarding technique, discipline and focus on simplicity - that’s the ‘French finesse’ part,” he says. The counterpart comes from within: "The ‘Italian soul’ is about the heart of the dish, focusing on just a few core ingredients that remind me of my heritage.”
He acknowledges the emotional truth of Italian cooking. "Italian cuisine is deeply instinctive and emotional - the best pasta you'll ever have is probably cooked by your Nonna with nothing but tomato, Parmesan and pasta. I take that emotional core and apply the precise and disciplined techniques of my French training to make dishes simpler and better.”
Few dishes embody that hybrid identity more than the ravioli a la Bordelaise, a signature that Jacopo calls the best expression of his migration story. "This dish is the perfect fusion of my two worlds. We take a classic, deep French flavour - the Bordelaise sauce - which is traditionally served over beef, and we put it inside the ravioli.
"This turns it into a distinctly Italian way of eating. You get all the layered complexity and depth of that French sauce in a single bite that explodes in your mouth.”
Home, Reimagined at La Madonna
Despite crossing continents, Jacopo's compass remains anchored in memory. "Home for me tastes like sarde in saor at my grandmother’s house at Christmas time. That specific combination of flavours represents pure nostalgia, which is why it’s on the menu at La Madonna as an amuse-bouche.”
However, it is, ultimately, a place where technique and tenderness coexist - and where a young Chef continues to write his own global chapter.
