Of Italian ancestry, Belilty grew up in Morocco. His passion for food was inspired by his grandmother and he spent many hours in the busy family kitchen captivated by the history and preparation of meals, which were infused by hand-ground spices and piquant ingredients often grown on the rooftop of their riad in Rabat. His own cooking draws on his Moroccan heritage as well as sojourns through Italy, Thailand, India, and the Middle East to create an imaginative fusion of styles that balance daring with tradition, subtlety with robustness.