Official Press Release:
Il Cielo opens on Sanibel
All-star lineup including
world-class chefs Loretta Paganini and Marco Corricelli team up to create definitive Italian dining experience for the island
SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. – The wait will soon be over
to experience Sanibel Island’s newest dining establishment. Meaning “the sky” in Italian, Il Cielo
(pronounced “eel chee-ello”) is a definitive Italian dining experience that will open to the
public for dinner on Monday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m. Celebrity Chef Loretta Paganini, host of “Simply Gourmet” on the
Discovery Channel and proprietor of the International Culinary Arts & Sciences Institute, and Milan’s Chef Marco
Corricelli are the gourmet masterminds behind Il Cielo’s Italian offerings.
“We are very excited to be opening this season on Sanibel and can’t wait to welcome our
dear friends and neighbors, both old and new, to experience Il Cielo,” said Chef Paganini. Il
Cielo is located at 1244 Periwinkle Way and will be open for dinner seven days a week from 5 to 10 p.m. Paganini and Corricelli will use fresh, local products for uniquely flavorful dishes. Menu selections
will range from lighter fare, soups, salads and antipasti to main selections including pasta, seafood, meat and poultry specialties
with a wide selection of desserts and cheeses.
The Il Cielo experience will also include a full
bar menu and an extensive wine list of perennial favorites and surprising alternatives personally selected by Master
Sommelier Ron Edwards to complement the restaurant’s unique menu. The restaurant’s
full menu is available online at www.ilcielosanibel.com
In order to keep the menu as fresh as possible, Paganini and Corricelli plan to change entrees and desserts
in accordance with the seasons.
Born in Bologna, Italy, Paganini is director of ICASI,
a state-of-the-art teaching center that includes five professional kitchens,
a library, lecture hall and gardens. She is also founder of the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking in Cleveland and
the author of “Bologna Mia” (St. Martin’s Press). Paganini is a frequent guest on The Discovery
Channel, Cleveland’s NBC affiliate WKYC’s “Good Company,” the CBS Early Show and other national programs.
In addition to regular visits, she resides on Sanibel for one month each year.
Fluent
in three languages, Corricelli began his career at the Amerigo Vespucci Institute of Culinary Arts in Milan and made his reputation
in renowned kitchens of London, Paris and Amsterdam. He's served as a personal chef for European heads of state and
as head chef at Malibu's Ristorante Allegna was a favorite among Hollywood elite. In 2007, the 5-star Las Dunas Palace beckoned
him to Spain but soon thereafter he was recruited away by Lenotre Marbella -- a crown jewel in the empire of French legend
Gaston Lenotre. Word of mouth brought Marco to the attention of nearby La Zagaleta Country Club, the continent's most exclusive
resort, and over the next four years he was a private chef for several of Europe’s most prominent families. “Having had the opportunity to work at some amazing European ports of call, it will be exciting to bring a
taste of coastal, Mediterranean cuisine to Sanibel Island,” said Chef Corricelli.
Reservations
are now being accepted by phone and online. For more information or reservations, call 239-472-5555 or visit www.ilcielosanibel.com.
