Massimo’s formal culinary education began both at home and at school in his native Florence, Italy at the age of fourteen. After completing culinary school, Massimo’s skill and reputation slowly began to flourish at some of the trendiest, upscale restaurants in Florence. Massimo first came to the U.S. while at Cibreo Ristorante, one of the most acclaimed spots in Florence, known for its American celebrity clientele.

At Cibreo, Massimo was picked  to represent “The Best of Italy” in the U.S.  It was only a short matter of time before Massimo was sought after to take over the kitchen, of a then new restaurant, Locanda Veneta in Los Angeles.  During his long tenure at Locanda Veneta, the restaurant was consistently rated one of the top 3 Italian restaurants in Southern California.

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Massimo also met his wife Daniela at Locanda Veneta. They quickly became partners in all aspects of life, and  in January 2002 Massimo and Daniela opened Massimo Ristorante, a fine dining restaurant in Beverly Hills. During its 9 years of operation, the creativity, talent and consistency of Massimo’s cooking created a following of regular customers, including many celebrities.  Zagat Guide consistently rated Massimo Ristorante as one of the top 100 Italian restaurants in the United States and Massimo Ristorante  was selected as one of the top 50 restaurants by Los Angeles Magazine Restaurant Issue in 2008.

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Ultimately, Massimo and Daniela wanted to create a new concept that matched their own more casual lifestyle after having their son, Alessandro.   Massimo decided to take his upscale cooking and create a menu in a casual space at an accessible price.

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Through time, Massimo & Daniela joined forces with close family friend, Cyrus Deboo to find just the right space in their own neighborhood to house their new farm to table Tuscan cafe, Tuscan Son.