Migrants are making their mark in Italy’s restaurant kitchens

ROME: Tourists dining out in Italy are increasingly likely to find that their pizza Margherita or spaghetti alla carbonara have been prepared by a foreign worker, reflecting the growing role of outsiders in the country’s famed cuisine.

Eateries and bars in Italy, where the authenticity of dishes is a matter of national pride jealously guarded by the authorities, are turning to immigrants to do the cooking in ever greater numbers, official data shows.

Non-EU workers made up 34 percent of new hires of cooks and pizza makers in 2023, up from 23 percent in 2014, according to statistics from the Labour Ministry analysed by Francesco Armillei, an economics researcher at Milan’s Bocconi University.

The share of newly hired non-EU kitchen assistants such as cleaners and dishwashers is even higher at 58 percent, and the data probably underestimates the true picture as they omit undeclared workers who are particularly common in the restaurant business.

“The industry heavily relies on foreign workers, especially in mid-range and lower-end restaurants,” Colombian chef Roy Caceres, who started out as a dishwasher and now runs the Michelin-starred restaurant Orma in Rome said.