Flavio De Maio, born and bred in Garbatella (a district in Rome), in his previous life worked at Datamat Spa: an Italian IT company where he stayed for twenty-six years. Then came the epiphany that led him on the path to culinary art. For six years he worked at Felice a Testaccio, a restaurant where he learned working methods, raw materials selection and respect for food. In partnership with Marco Andreini, he opened the Flavio al Velavevodetto restaurant in Testaccio in 2009 and the one in Piazza dei Quiriti in 2012.