Already at the age of 13 Valentino Libro began his passion for the most famous Neapolitan dish. Inebriated by the flavors and ancient recipes of pizza, he decides to undertake this career since he was a teenager and his art immediately comes to life in the pizzeria.
Thus, after long afternoons spent in the most famous places in the Neapolitan area to learn the art of the true pizza makers, his dream came true in 2004 when, thanks to the help of his father, he opened his first pizzeria “Capoverde”, an experiment that didn’t last long time as Valentino felt the need to learn more in the back seat.
In the meantime, he continued to study and refine culinary techniques at the ACIIEF, successfully graduating on May 12 of the following year.
For many years he has been part of the APN, Neapolitan pizza makers association.
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. (Martin Luther King) “
I strongly believe in my work because, first of all, it is my passion!
His career includes collaboration with Luigi Manzilli’s Taverna Neapolis in Marano di Napoli, one of the most renowned clubs in the area. From being an oven worker in a few months Valentino became a pizza maker and, despite his young age, he soon after became an head-pizza-maker.
The success, needless to say, was unstoppable: his delicious pizzas seduced even the most refined palates and allowed Valentino to participate in the World Pizza Championships
The great success in the Neapolitan area was followed by an important experience abroad: in 2011 he moved to Istanbul where he worked at Fabrizio Lorenzini’s Italian restaurant “Fumo”. Here Valentino improved his culinary art and was influenced by rich and diverse cultures, moreover, he improves his knowledge of English and Turkish.
In 2013 he returned to Naples and participated in the Caputo Napoli Pizza Village, the most important event in the world of Neapolitan pizza with the “Fumo” stand thanks to which he ranked first in his category and is appointed ambassador of the Turkish delegation.
After the success in this championship, a new tough challenge awaits Valentino: the management of Ke Vuo ‘, in Quarto di Napoli and owned by the well-known entrepreneur Antonello Catania. Valentino gains a lot of trust and repays with the same successes of the past: the restaurant, in just 10 months of activity, became the most renowned in the area.
In 2014 Valentino wins another Caputo trophy.
In 2015 the Ke Vuò experience ends to start a new, much more important one. The one that allows Valentino’s vision to be realized: Libro’s. The pizzeria was born in Aversa, an important town in the province of Caserta, in a historic building.
Libro’s is one of Valentino’s main activities today but certainly not the only one … he still participates in numerous Neapolitan pizza events and championships while waiting to create a chain of pizzerias in Europe and perhaps, who knows, even overseas.
“I fulfilled my dream, keeping the promise I made to myself about 10 years ago: now my life has changed, but I do not forget my origins because if I have achieved these results it is also thanks to the humility of mind that sets me apart … the secret of success? I haven’t achieved success yet, I’ve just started
Follow him on instagram at @valentinolibrogram