Qualitaly_120

DEC. JAN. 2021 X journey in the catering sector. What was your training and how did you ‘debut’ in this sector? It all started between 1984 and 1986. My father, with his two brothers, built a hotel complex that included several restaurants specialising in ceremonies, but also an a la carte restaurant, a tourist village with breakfast, lunch and dinner service. I was thrown into the fray as a waiter at the age of 16, but I immediately felt drawn to cuisine. Where did you do your apprenticeship and which restaurants did you work in? After graduating from the Italian Academy of Chefs in Empoli, I was in Rome in 1990 for a summer experience in a much-loved restaurant in the capital where I was able to put my passion for cooking to good use. From there, a careful and scrupulous training started: in ‘91 I did a season in Spain where I learned the secrets of Paella, in ‘92 I spent a period in Mondovì where I specialized in truffles and game. In ‘95 I arrived in Germany, and it was here that my career officially began. With my wife Tarin Iaconisi, a sommelier, we opened a restaurant of Italian cuisine and managed it until 2002. In the meantime, our daughters were born and the desire for them to grow up in Italy grew stronger and stronger. Hence the decision to return to our beloved Puglia. A return to the origins: in those years I was in charge of the catering of the family tourist complex. In 2007 the final turning point came: my wife and I opened the l’Aragosta da Cò in Porto Cesareo, I was chef and she the sommelier. And from that moment on, the greatest satisfaction arrived. What is your style in the kitchen? I’ve travelled a lot, I’ve learnt different techniques, I’ve learnt how to deal with different kinds of products... mine is a creative cuisine which, however, is linked to the ingredients of my region: fish and vegetables first and foremost. Celiacs, vegans, health care professionals. Today you have to be able to satisfy these profiles as well. How do you get by in such a context? I try to please everyone a little. Our restaurant is a fish restaurant, but there is no lack of specific dishes for celiacs, vegans or even for those who wish to eat meat. Let’s talk about the menu... Ours is certainly a menu which often changes according to the seasons. Off the menu we always have the catch of the day (tendentially alive) which is displayed in the window right at the entrance. Our customers often start from there to choose what to eat. Let’s say that ours is an express cuisine that works mostly with local products. We have a very demanding clientele, so we need to focus on the best possible quality. How do you choose your suppliers? Of course we have been careful to identify the best suppliers locally. We also have a distributor, Hielo Srl, with whom we work very well and to whom we turn for all those ingredients that are not fresh or in season, such as porcini mushrooms or the various Qualitaly branded products. How many people work in the restaurant? First of all, there is me and my wife Tarin. In the dining room, our daughters, both university students, Asia (22 years old) and Marina (20 years old), who give us a great help in running the restaurant. Then we have 8 permanent staff, which increases in summer (we employ about 15 employees) when work is much more hectic because we are in an area with a high tourist turnover. What should cuisine look like today? Personally, I experience cuisine as a continuous search for emotions. I think this is the principle from which to start, to transmit to the clientele. What are the most common mistakes that a restaurateur should not make? Certainly never be found unprepared and always be at the customer’s disposal. How are you experiencing this particular historical moment? Are you worried about the future or are you trying to be optimistic? It is a difficult period. Here in Puglia we live the uncertainty of the location in the different areas (yellow, orange, MAGAZINE