Marco Criscuolo

Chef/Owner

Marco Criscuolo grew up in a small agricultural town in Puglia, Italy, where at the age of 15 began culinary School .
During the 5 year program, Marco was chosen several times to represent his school with cooking internships in Sweden, Holland and Egypt.                    

As soon as Marco graduated, he joined the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as a chef De Partie. Marco worked with the luxurious brand for several years with different roles in London, Santa Barbara, and Sydney, Australia.

In 2012, Marco joined The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, California as Executive Chef of Andrea Ristorante. At Andrea, he brought storied culinary traditions and classic dishes to life with the authentic flavors of Italy. 17 different handmade pasta were crafted each day in the restaurant's temperature-controlled pasta room (which he oversaw). Marco sourced only the perfect seasonal ingredients. Alba White Truffle was the king of the fall and winter menus. Marco served only the best authentic Italian cuisine in Southern California receiving various press mentions. In 2016 Chef Marco continued his career at Pelican Hill Resort becoming the Resort Executive Sous Chef overlooking the resort's 4 successful restaurants, Banquet operation, and Villas Private Dining.

Between 2018 and 2022 Marco lived between Palm Beach Florida, and South Hampton NY, privately cooking for a former US Ambassador his family and their prominent guests.

In 2023, Marco moved back to Orange County, where he started the journey of finding the perfect location for Trattoria Trullo. The finding of the vibrant community of Aliso Viejo matched perfectly with Marco’s vision. Today, Chef Marco brings to Trattoria Trullo over 22 years of culinary experience, the expression of who he is today and all that he has learned to a casual concept, affordable restaurant.

A departure from the fine dining, special occasion culinary model for which he is also known in Southern California. Trullo is the type of restaurant he himself seeks out on his visits to Puglia Italy, a neighborhood favorite with a warm, inviting atmosphere, excellent food made from locally sourced ingredients.