Paolo Marchi was born in Milan on 20 March 1955; his father Rolly created the Topolino Skiing Trophy and his mother Graziella was a painter. Paolo wrote for the Italian newspaper Il Giornale from December 1979 to February 2011. In January 2004 he came up with a life-changing plan and founded Identità Golose, Italy's first fine dining and pastry-making congress, thanks also to his partnership with Claudio Ceroni, an entrepreneur in major event planning and television production.
Since 2007, Marchi has compiled the Guida ai Ristoranti d'autore di Italia, Europa e Mondo (Guide to the best restaurants in Italy, Europe and the World). He wrote a recipe book for the Fatebenefratelli Ophthalmic Institute in Milan, along with the volumes Dessert al piatto, Don Alfonso, Sushi Susci and Pesce alle stelle for the Bibliotheca Culinaria publishing house, Cento per cento ricette di talento and Multipli di 20 for Cucina&Vini and the guidebooks Milano da gustare and Tutto pesce for Gribaudo-Il Gusto. His accomplishments include Sapore d’Abruzzo for the publishers Textus, Guida alle Gelaterie di Milano for Terre di Mezzo, and 100chef X 10anni, a list of the 100 chefs who changed Italian cuisine, published by Mondadori Electa. In 2014 Mondadori Electa also published his biography: 50 racconti (e 25 ricette): XXL, 50 piatti che hanno allargato la mia vita. In 2021 he compiled an outstanding book on the master gelato-maker Paolo Brunelli, for the publishers Maretti Editore.
In 2015, Paolo Marchi and Claudio Ceroni rolled out Identità Expo, a remarkable project that for six months shone the spotlight on over 200 chefs from Italy and abroad, and eventually inspired Identità Golose Milano, the International Hub of Gastronomy inaugurated in 2018 in downtown Milan. In 2016, he teamed up with over 40 leading names on the Italian scene to found the Ambassadors of Taste, whose mission is to fly the flag for authentic and contemporary Italian cuisine throughout the world. Since 2019 he has been a regular fixture on the weekly television show Striscia la Notizia with a segment called Capolavori Italiani in Cucina (Italian masterpieces in the kitchen).
