Rickie Piper has served as the Executive Chef at Casa D’ Angelo for the past 10 years. Piper was born in Illinois in 1976, but moved with his family back to their home in Rome, Italy when he was 8 years old. Growing up, his love for food grew as he followed his mother in the kitchen and watched as she prepared traditional Italian dishes for the family.
After graduating high school, he went on to study at the famous culinary school, Istituto Alberghiero Torcarbone in Rome. Upon graduation, he immediately found work in top fine dining restaurants throughout Europe, including Vecchia Pineta in Ostialido, Rome.
He always dreamed of returning to the United States where he was born. At the invitation of Chef Angelo Elia, who knew Rickie and his family for many years, Rickie moved to Florida and began working with Chef Angelo at Casa D’Angelo in Fort Lauderdale. He helped Angelo open Casa D’Angelo at the well-known Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island, Bahamas, and stayed on as Executive Chef there for 1 year. He then returned to Florida to open another location in Boca Raton, which immediately became a success and is now his primary base. Rickie also teaches culinary classes at the Jean-Pierre Cooking School in Fort Lauderdale, and represents Casa D’Angelo at several charity events throughout South Florida.
