Solare’s Accursio Lota nabs top prize. Eater recently reported that chef Accursio Lota of Liberty Station’s Solare Ristorante would be one of only two chefs chosen to represent the USA at the Barilla Pasta World Championship in Italy this week. After three rounds of competition in Milan, and beating out 19 chefs from other countries around the world, Lota went on to win the 6th annual edition of the event with his "Spaghetti alla Carbonara di Mare" that paid homage to the Mediterranean flavors and ingredients of Sicily.

The final was held at Academia Barilla in Parma where Accursio defeated Israel’s chef Omir Cohen and chef Keita Yuge of Japan before a panel of five Michelin-starred Italian chefs, including Caterina Ceraudo, Lorenzo Cogo, Alfio Ghezzi, Matteo Baronetto and Roberto Rossi. Originally from the small agricultural town Menfi on the Italian island of Sicily, Lota’s culinary background includes working at the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan; while here in San Diego the chef cooked at The Marine Room and ran an underground dinner pop-up before joining Liberty Station’s Solare in 2012.