Chef Massimiliano Proietti

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: October 2024 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

Chef Massimiliano Proietti

The announcement of a new chef at the helm of Highlands Ristorante Paoletti with its 71 year history is certainly exciting news for this family run institution.

Since opening in Highlands in 1984, the restaurant has made a tangible impact on the city’s cultural fabric through its food, wine, service and hospitality. In its 40-year history in Highlands, members of the Paoletti family oversaw all new dishes coming out of the kitchen. In a surprising break from tradition the family has chosen Chef Massimiliano Proietti to head its innovative kitchen.

While the family is still heavily involved in menu creation their selection of Chef Proietti highlights their faith in his abilities.

Gina Paoletti, the fourth generation to run day-to-day operations, said, “Massi takes our dreams and brings them to reality We spend nearly three months in Italy every year, eating our way through the country. The remarkable gift that Massi has is when we describe a dish we tasted and loved he’s able to recreate it and bring it to life. Yet that’s only a small portion of his work as most days he’s bringing his own creations to life. He has an extraordinary sense for bringing together flavor combinations & ability to craft dishes that transcend taste, they evoke emotion.”

Massimiliano Proietti began his career in Rome at age 15 working as a busboy at a neighborhood seafood restaurant. As he likes to say, “the job kept me off the streets.” Nevertheless, it instilled in him an affection for the restaurant business, and after a year, he decided to make it a career, enrolling in a hospitality school where he trained in both front-of-house service and back-of-house roles.

Before long he was working at famed five-star hotels in Rome, including the Excelsior and Grand Hotel, where he served elite guests with white-glove formality.

But it was an accident that launched his career. While working at his then-girlfriend’s family restaurant, his future took an unexpected turn when the chef suffered severe burns. Unable to work and lacking the resources to hire outside help, he asked Proietti to take command of the stoves. As fortune would have it, Proietti discovered a passion for cooking, and when the chef returned to work, he stayed on.

A year later he put down stakes at his own restaurant in Testaccio, one of Rome’s liveliest neighborhoods, known for its markets and nightlife. His restaurant specialized in ultra-fresh seafood dishes like branzino, sea bass, and spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams). “The fresher it is, the less you need to do,” he liked to say as he sourced fish from auctions twice a week, crafting dishes that let the ingredients shine.

By 2000, Proietti was ready for a change, and he moved to Connecticut to join his brother who owned a gelato shop in Stamford. He met his wife in 2003 and the next year they headed to London, where he found employment as front-ofhouse manager at the Great Eastern Hotel’s high-end restaurant in the lively Liverpool Street area. After two-and-a-half years in London, the couple returned to the States, to Atlanta where Proietti worked in a management position with the city’s highly-regarded Buckhead Life Group.

Although his career flourished, Proietti was battling personal demons. The fast-paced, high-pressure restaurant environment had fueled his struggles with addiction. When he and his wife moved to Houston in 2014 for his wife’s work, he found work in a French restaurant but soon realized that the lifestyle was taking a toll. In 2017, he made the life-changing decision to seek treatment. Now seven years sober, Proietti credits this turning point for not only saving his life but reshaping his perspective on what’s important.

When Covid hit, Proietti and his wife retreated to the home they had purchased in Highlands the year before. Planning to stay a week, they remained for eight months. With the reopening of Paoletti’s in July 2020 after the pandemic came openings, and Massi joined the team, first as a server and then over time, consulting on daily specials. The transition back into the kitchen came naturally, and by April 2024, he stepped into the role of chef consultant.

Proietti’s culinary approach at Paoletti’s is steeped in the traditions of Rome but influenced by his global journey. Since his arrival, he and his team of 15 skilled culinarians have been bringing exciting new flavors to the tables: delicate zucchini blossoms stuffed with anchovies, mozzarella, and parmesan, lightly fried in tempura batter. Another favorite is his home-made ricotta gnocchi with shrimp and scallops, enhanced with lemon zest and a touch of cream, then baked to a golden finish. And his lasagna – made with fresh pasta, truffle, pancetta, béchamel, and burrata – has quickly become a showstopper.