Italian Butcher Dario Cecchini: Serving Steak and Poetry

Dario Cecchini, age 55, has been a butcher for 37 years – following in the footsteps of the previous 8 generations of Cecchini males. 

The owner of the Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti (Tuscany, Italy), has been defined by the New York Times and Le Figaro as “the most famous butcher in the world”. He counts among his more famous clients Prince Charles, Elton John and Sting. 

He calls himself a 21st Century butcher, a Ulysses of meat, and a proponent of high-quality fast-food. 
He’s been giving lessons for years, both in Italy and abroad, about how best to cut and cook beef, without wasting any part of the animal: from the renowned Florentine steak (a loin cut that includes the T-bone), to histenerumi, the most humble part of the knee that most traditional butchers discard, Cecchini’s philosophy is that the killing of any animal for food is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.

Dario Cecchini is a true example of how passion for one’s work, for food and for the animals that feed us can result in tastes and flavours that are not only authentic, but truly poetic. Along with his butchery, Dario Cecchini owns three restaurants in Panzano where he proposes traditional Tuscan dishes, centred around his meat, and products from his farm just 3 kilometres away. His butcher shop is also a place where locals and visitors – anyone who loves the best-quality meat available – can come for an informal lunch or dinner.