It all began way back one day in May 2011, when a proud, confident 24-year-old opened his own restaurant in a village of 10,000 people in the countryside of Vicenza, serving creative, expressive cuisine acquired during 5 years learning his trade around the world, in the kitchens of the top chefs of the time. El Coq, “the rooster”: a short, simple name that rolls off the tongue in numerous languages. No tablecloths, and all-white surroundings, because “the content is more important than the container”. Then came the first diners, the first journalists, the first awards, and the coveted Michelin star. It was 2012; every day there was a desire to do more, no giving up, and no making do. A desire for change prompted the arrival of colour, and a change to the form. But El Coq sought even more space, with new creativity and the bar set higher every day. 2016 saw a major move, from the countryside to the city, to Vicenza. A new dining room, a new home, new tablecloths, yet still the same El Coq. In Vicenza’s most elegant square, Piazza dei Signori, serving a mature, sophisticated cuisine. Then one day came a journey, a desire to explore the world along with Magellan and Pigafetta: a magical, fairy-tale blue room, home to an increasingly experimental, carefully researched, personal cuisine. This magic, however, was halted by the pandemic, and El Coq came to a halt with it, and Lorenzo realised it was time to take a break, to rest a little after 10 years of hard work. El Coq is history, art, poetry. It’s Lorenzo. But Lorenzo is not on holiday, and he never stopped to take a break…