Born in Rome, raised in Baschi, Italy, FarmerChef Lorenzo Polegri has grown up with a rich heritage of food and farming and since a young age has helped his father Lucio manage the family farm of vineyards, olive trees, grains and vegetables. 

 

In 1984, he graduated from the “Istituto Tecnico per Geometri” (Technical Institute for Land Surveyors) in Orvieto. He attended Università della Tuscia for Modern Foreign Languages and Literature.

 

Upon finishing school, Lorenzo had become manager at Coldiretti, the most important farmers' trade union in Italy.

 

In 1990, Lorenzo opened his first restaurant, "Funky", and in 1993, opened "Wunderbar", a café/delicatessen.

In 1995, Ristorante Zeppelin was born, opened in a 16th century building in the historic Orvieto, on via Garibaldi. (BUT IT SINCED MOVED, in 2013, to the present location next to Palazzo Hotel Piccolomini)

 

Lorenzo first started consulting in the United States in 1992, and established lasting contacts primarily in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. In 2000, he was the chef in charge of the Orvieto-Aiken, SC twin cities progam, and in 2001, was the head chef at the "Italian Food Festival" at the United Nations headquarters in NYC, coordinating the Italian team, cooking personally for the Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan.  

 

Since then, he has maintained his relationship in the US and has cooked serveral times at the James Beard House in NYC and is the most celebrated European chef. In 2010 he was a guest chef at The White House invited by Chef Edwin Schölly.

 

Lorenzo has worked with culinary programs all throughout the United States and has been hosting internship students at Zeppelin since 2005, from the Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales, Art Institutes of America, Cordon Bleu, Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Newbury College, Arizona Culinary Institute, Universid de Estes, and more.

 

OH, and you'll notice in the set of pictures that aren't in the food and farming arena. In 1987-1991, Lorenzo competed as a bodybuilder in regional and national competions, and TODAY, is now glad to return to the soil as a FarmerChef.