Born and raised in Pomigliano d’Arco, on the outskirts of Naples, Orazio D’Elia grew up shaped by two very different Italian worlds. He credits his two grandmothers — one from Naples by the water and the other from the mountains — as his greatest culinary teachers. After training at culinary school in Milan and completing stages across Italy, Orazio worked in notable restaurants throughout Europe and the Mediterranean before arriving in Sydney, where he steadily built his career through some of the city’s most respected kitchens, including Popolo and Icebergs Dining Room & Bar.

In 2014, Orazio and Maurice Terzini opened Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta in Bondi, which became an instant favourite. Following a stint running his own trattoria, Matteo, in Double Bay, Orazio bought Da Orazio back and reopened it in 2022 to an overjoyed crowd. The restaurant earned a Chef’s Hat in the Good Food Guide in 2023, and today Orazio continues to grow his little Italian family of venues while remaining guided by the same simple belief: that great food is really just a love letter to the people who taught you how to cook.