A hat trick for Ariel Hagen, volcanic Florentine Executive Chef, born in 1993; just one year after opening, Saporium Firenze, which inaugurated last March 14, conquers the prestigious red star in the MICHELIN Guide 2024, to which is added the important recognition of the green star for Saporium in Borgo Santo Pietro. 
Saporium Firenze, aims to be an ambassador in the Tuscan capital for the food & beverage project of the emblazoned 5-star retreat Borgo Santo Pietro, an iconic destination in the Sienese countryside where the other three dining projects are located, the Saporium of the same name, also awarded a green star, Trattoria sull’albero and the popup restaurant in the Orto based on plant-based cooking lines and fermentation techniques. The two eponymous fine dining experiences, Saporium Firenze and Borgo Santo Pietro, celebrate an emotional journey from the roots of the earth to the table. A “farm to plate” cuisine that Ariel Hagen, firmly at the helm of all dining projects, supported by Resident Chefs Marco Sforza and Luca Ottogalli, proposes his personal interpretation of the production philosophy of the Borgo Santo Pietro estate, from where most of the raw materials used in the kitchen are derived.
Chef Hagen’s The Season That’s Not There follows the rhythm of nature by varying its proposal through a contemporary search for taste based on principles of enhancing biodiversity, organic farming and natural breeding, aware of the influence of the current climate change. A gastronomic laboratory in constant turmoil that recovers the traditional contents of local cuisine while renewing their value through modern techniques and a great ability to look to the future of Italian signature cuisine. “It is a privilege to rejoin the Michelin circuit,” say Borgo Santo Pietro owners Jeanette and Claus Thottrup, “From our point of view, as founders and owners of the Borgo Santo Pietro group, it is a confirmation of a quality gastronomy that since our establishment, has always been pivotal to a concept of culinary excellence based on the Km0 concept and the true philosophy from the land to the plate, given by the harvest of our lush gardens and livestock farms certified organic and entirely sustainable. Receiving these awards today asserts a pride that we have always cherished in our journey in entrusting our kitchens to the talents of young chefs, who over the years have embarked with us on a journey under the banner of a cuisine that stands out but shows respect for Mother Nature, staying true to the concepts of sustainability and circular economy.” They conclude, “Today, the Michelin Stars awarded to our young Executive Chef, Ariel Hagen are a source of infinite pride for us.”
“I am very proud of these important recognitions only one year after the opening of Saporium Firenze. Recognitions that thank to the commitment, passion and perseverance of my entire brigade and the entire Borgo Santo Pietro team, I feel are even more deserved,” says Chef Ariel Hagen, who after successful experiences in Norbert Niederkofler’s three-starred kitchen and Arnolfo of Gaetano Trovato’s two-Michelin-starred chef, takes the stage as the author and main actor of his first work as Executive Chef. “From the head gardener to the kitchen garden team, from the cheesemaker to the baker, via the fermenter or the butcher and many more, these are all people who represent the Saporium kitchen, through whom a real quality control of the raw material is possible by following the cultivation, breeding and first processing of raw materials that allow us to create unique dishes and thus an inimitable dining experience,” concludes Chef Ariel Hagen.
