Italy is no country for young chefs

Chef Davide Sanna works in the kitchen of Piccola Cucina in the SoHo area of New York City, U.S., November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

ROME (Reuters) - Like many young people growing up in Sardinia, Davide Sanna loved Italian cuisine and wanted to have a succesful career as a chef. But to do so, he had to move to New York.

Sanna had worked in kitchens on the Mediterranean island and in northern Italy for four years, starting when he was only 19. But he was toiling 60 hours a week to take home just 1,800 euros ($1,963.26) a month, at best. In the busy summer season, he'd be at the stove every day for two months, without a break.