Mirko Zago

Italian-born chef Mirko began his culinary career in 1988, working at a local restaurant in his hometown of Aosta. In the years that followed, he worked his way through the kitchens of Gstaad, Geneva and Mallorca. Upon his return to Italy, he worked at a series of one and two Michelin starred restaurants, including Petit Restaurant Hostellerie du Cheval Blanc, Petit Restaurant at the Grand Hotel Royal and Golf and The Terrazza at Hotel Eden.

After leading Moscow’s Italian restaurant Syr for 20 years, he now manages the kitchens of Aist, Onest and Bro&N in Moscow and La Fabbrica in Rostov-on-Don for the Novikov Group. As the brand chef, his philosophy champions the use of fresh, local seasonal products to create dishes that amaze guests with their apparent simplicity. An act to which he attributes his long search for the right ingredients and technologies.

Revered by fellow chefs and television audiences alike, he is known as the most demanding of the judges of MasterChef Russia. In 2022, Mirko also starred in a reality show Cook on Wheels on the First Channel.