Daniela Maiorano (@daniela.maiorano)
Byron Bay, Anna Magnani and patate e cozze
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A fierce fourth-generation chef from Abruzzo, Italy, Daniela was born into the kitchen. Dani grew up helping her grandmother roll gnocchi and shape sourdough for daily service in the family restaurant, Ristorante Clemente in Sulmona, together with the “commarucce” - the legendary and riotous women who made up (and still make up!) the kitchen team.
Where do you live most of the year?
I live on Bundjalung Country in Byron Bay, Australia, for most of the year. My partner and I bought a house here—this is home. The rest of the time, I’m in Italy, where I’m originally from. I’ll be spending more time in Italy starting this year because I’m launching food and wine tours in my home region of Abruzzo.
What do you look for in a restaurant when you walk in?
I look for attention to detail. I grew up in my family’s restaurant, so I know a lot about hospitality. First and foremost, the welcome. I want to feel a certain warmth, like I’m coming home. The restaurant experience, in my opinion, has to be complete. You can’t have great food and bad service—or vice versa. A good experience is like a well-choreographed dance: vibe, lighting, sound, food, and service all need to come together harmoniously.
What is your final meal?
It would be either riso, patate e cozze (rice, potatoes, and mussels) or cacio e pepe—a very hard choice!
3 guests for dinner, dead or alive?
My grandfather (who passed away)
Anna Magnani (the iconic Roman actress)
Caterina de’ Medici (the Italian queen who brought culinary influence to France)
Daniela’s Taste Maker Guide
Breakfast: High Life in Byron Bay
Order: I always order cheesy potato and duck egg tacos with spicy salsa, or the kimchi fritters. Everything is absolutely delicious and made with the best local produce. I also love the dandelion latte with house-made hazelnut milk.
Coffee: Happy Days, Byron Bay
Order: A simple cappuccino. Happy Days is such a nice little place in the Industrial Estate in Byron, they roast their own beans and they also do a simple delicious breakfast, great vibe great people.
Lunch: Rito Pane, Abruzzo, Italy
Order: This is one of my favourite places in my region in Italy. Claire and Dan have a home restaurant inside an old family mill. You just book and prepare to be beautifully surprised by the menu on the day, which is always different and based on local produce, everything made from scratch. It’s just the two on them cooking and serving the food and wine, the atmosphere is magic, and every time I go I am left in awe of such a unique and special project by lovely young people in this tiny, remote town in Abruzzo.
Special dinner: Bar Heather, Byron Bay
Dark, cozy, and with an incredible attention to detail, Bar Heather is my favourite spot in Byron Bay. The wine list is amazing, and chef Ollie Wong’s food is next-level. The team—both front-of-house and kitchen—is outstanding. The food is consistently perfect, with a balance of familiar and unexpected flavours that work beautifully together. Some of my favourite dishes are the betel leaf, pork and pickles; the yellowfin tuna with makrut and eschalot; the pipies with chamomile and sorrel, and the cuttlefish with okinawa spinach and fennel seed vinaigrette. The menu changes often so there’s always something new and interesting to try – the kind of place you can go every week. I usually pair my meal with a glass of natural wine - I’m particularly fond of Cantina Giardino Fiano from Campania, Italy.
Casual dinner: My casual dinners are typically at pizzerie, either at Pizza Lab in Byron Bay or 180 gr in Rome.
Order: My must-try pizza is alici e fiori di zucca (anchovies, zucchini flowers, and mozzarella), paired with a cold beer. Pizza feels like home, and, like pasta, is food for everyone. You can find all sorts of people in a pizzeria—families, couples, and friends. It’s easy, affordable, and absolutely delicious. La pizzeria è casa.
Special shoutouts
Ristorante Clemente (my family restaurant in Abruzzo): The best, most honest, simple local food, made with so much love by my father.
Baba’s Place (my new favorite spot in Sydney): Middle Eastern cuisine full of flavour and creativity, with the best vibe.
Secondo Cancello (Ostia, near Rome): No fancy pretensions, a casual place right on the beach. It’s the first place I go with my best friend when I land in Rome from Australia (Fiumicino airport is right next to Ostia), just to enjoy calamari fritti, spaghetti with vongole (clams) and a glass of white wine.
Enoteca L’Antidoto (Trastevere, Rome): My favorite wine bar. My friend Mirko cooks delicious food, using the best ingredients with a unique style and technique, and you can find really unique natural wines.
RetroBottega (Rome): One of my favorite restaurants. I used to work there, and it’s a place I return to as soon as I land in Italy – I always love to see what chef Alessandro Miocchi is doing with the menu.
Santo Palato (Rome): Sara cicolini is running one of the best new trattoria, Carbonara next level.
