A few months after starting, his parents took him to Da Claudio, a local Michelinstarred restaurant.

"They told the chef, 'This is our son, he's just started culinary school. Don't pay him salary. Just teach him the craft'," Durante recalls.

That marked his first step into the Michelin-starred world. His schedule was rigorous: attending school from 8 am to 2 pm and then heading straight to the restaurant to work.

In 2012, Durante moved to France to continue his culinary journey, sharpening his skills in some of the country's top kitchens, including the two-Michelinstarred restaurant at Les Airelles Courchevel and the legendary three-Michelin-star Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris.

Working in a three-star kitchen, he says, felt like being at war: "You have to be like a sponge, absorbing everything, thus you learn a lot".

Returning to his roots in 2014, Durante spent nine years as Chef de Cuisine at Da Claudio. Last year, feeling ready for another adventure, he took on the role of Senior Sous Chef at the two-Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse at Morpheus in Macao.