Giovanni Leopardi was born in Turin, Italy. Turin is the capital city for the region of Piedmont, surrounded by the Alps. The land of white truffles, Porcini mushrooms, extraordinary cheeses, Bolito Misto, and wines that need no introduction: Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Gavi and Arneis to name a few.
At a very young age Giovanni was in the kitchen of his grandmother helping to prepare bagna cauda and angolotti in a tradition rooted in the rhythms of the seasons and culinary history of the land. With these memories and driving culinary passion, Giovanni went on to apprentice and train in some of the finest kitchens of Turin, such as L' Caval D' Brons.
Giovanni made his way to America after further honing his craft in other cities such as Milan and Monte Carlo. Arriving in New York he continued his culinary journey to the West Coast, working for Prego in San Francisco and Chianti Cucina in Los Angeles.
While on his way back to Italy in the late eighties he was invited by Alitalia Airlines to prepare a lavish dinner for certain dignitaries and diplomats at the Sheraton Hotel in Damascus. This proved to be a fortuitous event that led him to continue with Sheraton, ITT in Cairo. Giovanni spent a year and half in North Africa experimenting, learning, and further developing and diversifying his skills.
He also spent time in Beijing with the Palace Hotel, part owned by the Penninusla Group. He then, for next two years, worked as Executive Chef of the Italian Sector for the Taj Group of hotels all over India. Thereafter, he spent another year working for The Royal Abjar Hotel in the Arab Emirate of Dubai.
After almost 8 years of foreign travel and adventure Giovanni returned to the United Sates and spent time working in Hawaii for the Hyatt Group and then back to California. In the fall of 1997 Giovanni opened his first restaurant, Sage, in Sarasota, Florida. The restaurant was a critical success but the seasonality of the locale made for some trying times. After 3 ½ years he moved on to Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas to work on a luxury hotel and casino project for the Hutchinson Whampoa Group.
After a year in the Bahamas, Giovanni moved his family to New Hampshire, where he owned and operated the Potter Place Inn Restaurant in Andover for the next 4 years. He was thinking about his next destination when a regular customer mentioned a vacant space in downtown Hanover.
And so Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano opened its doors in May of 2006 in the Hanover Park building in downtown Hanover. There Giovanni continues his culinary passions and ever evolving enthusiasms that truly embrace every culinary culture under the sun.