Massimo Spigaroli was born in Polesine Parmense the son of Marcello and Enrica Micconi on 27th April 1958.
Even as a child he loved helping his Aunt Emilia (chef/local icon) in the kitchen where, they say, he used to line up the anolini and the tortelli like little lead soldiers.
He enrolled in the Hotel School of Salsomaggiore graduating with full marks and, still only sixteen, he presented the Press Club with a special dish of his own creation: “Pork Liver wrapped in natural pork netting Spigaroli”. There followed the experience gained in the best 5 star restaurants in Italy and abroad and participation in major gastronomic competitions such as “International Golden Chef”, where he took second place at the age of 17 ahead of chefs of renown.
In the meantime he was called upon both by Luigi Veronelli on the presentation of his first television broadcast and by Enza Sampò and Edoardo Raspelli for “What are you making to eat?”, but these are just a couple of examples. In that period the Parma Promotional Consortium was established in Parma (promotion and culture relating to the area), Massimo was called on to be part of the circle of grand Parmesan chefs that set up the inaugural evening.
At the age of 22 he was invited to teach at the Hotel School of Salsomaggiore and stayed for 5 years teaching cookery.
He is held in high esteem because of his culture and his skill as a chef by Massimo Alberini, journalist, gourmet and vice president of the Academy of Italian Cuisine that invited him to teach Parmesan cooking to the School of Fine Cooking at the Gritti Palace in Venice.
Paris, Strasbourg, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Luxemburg, Vienna, Bourg en Bresse, Monaco, Sofia and Abu Dhabi. At Christmas 1987, called up by the Italian Navy, he was in the Persian Gulf in the ship Anteo (then escorting merchant ships to protect them from attack by the Iranians) to prepare Christmas dinner for the military.
During the visit of the Presidents of the Republic to the city of Parma, he had the honour of preparing the gala dinner staged in honour of President Scalfaro and President Ciampi, guests at the Prefecture of Parma, obtaining in the course of those years the “Diploma in Excellent Cuisine” from the “Italian Academy of Cuisine”.
Then, the last venture with the Spigaroli hallmark was the collaboration initiated in the winter of 2007 with Prince Charles of Britain on his farm in Wales where he was invited to act as a consultant gourmet and pork butcher.
- Seoul on the occasion of the introduction of Italian salumi into Korea.
- Montreal at the Lumière Festival.
- Dubai as a promoter of Italian cuisine.
- Tokyo to provide training at the Actory School.
- Sydney during ‘Italian month’, to provide training and to care for the culinary events.
- Chairman for over 25 years of the Consortium for the Local Roads of S. Franca and Ongina (a farmers’ consortium).
- Chairman of the Consortium of the Culatello di Zibello since its inception.
- Chairman of the Strada del Culatello di Zibello since its inception.
- Chairman of the Parma Black Pig Consortium.
- Professional member of the French “Chaine des Rotisseurs”.
- Member of the national council of the “Euro Toques” Association.
- Instructor at ALMA, the “International School of Italian Cuisine”.
- Speaker on the shows “Identità Golose” and “Gambero Rosso”.