Mauro Uliassi’s LAB 2025: A Creative Workshop That Creates Itself Anew Every Year

Every year, between February and March, in Senigallia, restaurant Uliassi transforms into a creative workshop where the LAB takes shape—a journey born as a living legacy of past explorations, a continuum of thoughts, practices, and constant refinements. It is work that inevitably stems from the buildup of previous trials, yet each time finds new paths of expression, renewing itself endlessly.

The workshop led by Mauro Uliassi, alongside Mauro Paolini, Luciano Serritelli, Andrea Merloni, Michele Rocchi, Yury Raggini, Peppino Merlino, and Mattia Casabianca, takes on the qualities of an all-encompassing research project that questions every possible perception of the diner. From touch to sight, from smell to sound, all the way to taste—the beating heart of the story. For years, the chef has relentlessly investigated how to modulate the experience of a dish so that it becomes an immersive act, rooted in the present moment of the convivial gesture.

Milk Shake di aringa, noci e luppolo

Cannolicchio, fiori di pesco, sedano

Cannolicchio, fiori di pesco, sedano

The result is a sequence of ten to fifteen courses that flow with lightness without ever losing coherence. It ignites a pure pleasure that, at the climax of satisfaction, almost creates the need for the next dish. There are no centerpiece dishes or transitional plates, but rather a seamless orchestration; the menu thrives in a diffused light, devoid of shadows.

Lumache, crispogni, terroso di muschio

Lumache, crispogni, terroso di muschio

Pasta Massi ai ricci, mandarino

Pasta Massi ai ricci, mandarino

The team that makes this score possible is cohesive and close-knit, including—alongside Uliassi—Mauro Paolini, Luciano Serritelli, Andrea Merloni, Michele Rocchi, Yury Raggini, Peppino Merlino, and Mattia Casabianca. Everyone works tirelessly until the final menu emerges in its most complete form: an expression of identity and a peak of intellectual and technical complexity that stands unrivaled, yet above all remains surprisingly accessible. A milestone destined to be surpassed only by its next iteration the following year.

Cipolle e frutti rossi

Cipolle e frutti rossi

Sogliola al pepe verde

Sogliola al pepe verde

Among the most striking traits of Uliassi’s talent is his ability to tell stories. With words, the chef builds images so vivid they match—and sometimes surpass—those of professional writers. When he talks about the sea, hunting, fishing, or the origin of his dishes, he shapes true cinematic sequences capable of catapulting the listener straight into the scene. Unsurprisingly, this year’s LAB is once again narrated by his own voice in our video.

Featuring hilarious anecdotes—like the one about his acrobatic uncle catching razor clams—and entertaining references such as the famous Italian nursery rhyme La Peppina fa il caffè.

Rognone di pecora, arancia e barbabietola

Rognone di pecora, arancia e barbabietola

Agnello alla brace, cardamomo, eucalipto

Agnello alla brace, cardamomo, eucalipto

Featuring hilarious anecdotes—like the one about his acrobatic uncle catching razor clams—and entertaining references such as the famous Italian nursery rhyme La Peppina fa il caffè.

As proof of the story's evocative power, one only needs to read the note accompanying one of the iconic dishes from the new menu, dedicated to photographer Mario Giacomelli on the centenary of his birth:

The dish dedicated to Giacomelli is itself an act of visual memory: an essential spaghetti, tossed in extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and a hint of chili, resting on a dark, visceral bed made from squid ink and cuttlefish liver emulsified with thyme oil. A touch of dried black Iranian lemon pierces the aromatic depth, and in the end, a mark remains on the porcelain, evoking the aerial views of the Marche countryside immortalized by the photographer.

Spaghetti Mario Giacomelli

Spaghetti Mario Giacomelli

Meanwhile, outside, the Adriatic breeze turns azure over the legendary veranda of the most elusive kitchen in contemporary gastronomy.

Granita di albicocche

Gelato al caffè, rosmarino, zenzero

Gelato al caffè, rosmarino, zenzero