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🇷🇴 Romania /Culture & Society

Famous chef sells his restaurants and moves to Bali: “I had become a monster. I risked losing my family”

From Adevărul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Italian chef and television presenter Max Mariola, 57, sold most of his restaurants and moved to Bali, saying his work obsession threatened his family life.
  • Mariola said Bali offered a simpler lifestyle, while his eight-year-old son has adapted to the local school system.
  • He rejected claims that he failed in Italy, saying he sold the restaurants rather than closing them so employees could keep their jobs.

At 57, Max Mariola made a decision that he describes as a break with the life he had built in Italy: he sold his restaurants and moved with his family to Bali. The celebrated Italian chef, television presenter and digital creator says he found there the calm he had lost in Milan.

I risked losing my family. I had become a monster and all I could think about was producing.

· Max MariolaThe chef described how his obsession with work affected his family life.

Mariola said the pace of life in the Lombardy capital had become so intense that work and the desire to produce began to dominate every part of his existence. His pursuit of success came at the expense of time with those closest to him. “I risked losing my family. I had become a monster and all I could think about was producing,” he said, according to Il Messaggero.

The two years he spent in Milan became a turning point. By contrast, his experience in Southeast Asia showed him a simpler way of living, away from constant pressure over status and material success. He said he was particularly struck by the people he met and by the way they appeared to live without that permanent pressure. “It is an Italy from 70 years ago,” Mariola said of the lifestyle he discovered there.

It is an Italy from 70 years ago.

· Max MariolaHe compared the simpler lifestyle he found in Southeast Asia with Italy’s past.

For Mariola, Bali is not simply a holiday destination. He wants to remain there permanently. “I am 57, more than old enough to take this step. I want to end my life here,” he said. His eight-year-old son has already settled into the local school system.

I am 57, more than old enough to take this step. I want to end my life here.

· Max MariolaHe explained why he wants to remain in Bali.

The move also drew criticism on social media. Some accused Mariola of failing in Italy and presenting his departure as a personal choice. He rejected that claim, stressing that he had not abandoned his businesses. “They told me I was a loser, that now I was boasting about it, but I sold the restaurants, I did not close them,” he said. Mariola said the sale was calculated: the businesses could continue operating and their employees would not lose their jobs. He still controls one restaurant on Milan’s Via San Marco.

They told me I was a loser, that now I was boasting about it, but I sold the restaurants, I did not close them.

· Max MariolaHe responded to social media criticism of his decision to leave Italy.
About this summary

Originally published by Adevărul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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