QUALITALY 142

October/November 2024 III MAGAZINE to the art of cooking, but who has never forgotten the roots of our complicated simplicity. ‘Because genuine is not naive,’ chef Lucio Pompili points out, as he sinks his blade into the bread. He could have entrusted this task to somebody else, but he decided to lead by example. After all, it is precisely the simple things that hide the greatest pitfalls. The slices in the baskets disappear in an instant. ‘This is Uncle Lucio’s oil,’ he adds, ‘and so freshly pressed.’ At this point, expectation exceeds pretense. And not because of the fragrant smell of the sausage, or the colour of the oil. I almost become a child again and try to snatch a slice of salami to add to the bread, but I am immediately rebuked. ‘’Stop!” The chef doesn’t listen to reason. This time it takes method. I think I was lucky after all. The ‘smartest’, or rather the quickest, still clutching their plate between forefinger and thumb watch capable hands carefully dose each ingredient. Bread - oil - and salami, in his own way. After serving me, the chef moves on to the next one. Despite the fact that this is not exactly loot, I feel the spoils must be consumed alone. Drops of oil wet my fingertips as I fix two small rounds of salami on top of the slice of bread. I don’t mind, after all, the best experiences are the ones that get our hands dirty. I check that the string around the meat has been completely removed. I lift it to my mouth and take a bite. The wonder is familiar and builds up inside gently. Two more bites and I find myself with an empty plate. I make my way back to my seat, but the situation is more complicated. Now there are many others waiting in line. They could serve themselves, but they have seen the difference with their own eyes. Simple to the eye, but difficult to explain in words. Proof that simplicity is only the synthesis of great complexity. __________________________________ AT PAGE 12 FOCUS ON The time for nomadic chefs COMBATING THE STRESS AND HASSLES OF COOKING, HEADING OFF ON AN ADVENTURE, INTRODUCING A DYING TRADITION TO THE WORLD, OR SIMPLY LEARNING BY TRAVELLING: THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY MORE AND MORE CHEFS ARE EMBRACING COOKING ON THE GO by Anna Muzio One would say that if the mountain doesn’t go to Mohammed, or if the customer struggles to get there, then one has to go looking for him, getting on two or four wheels and heading off on an adventure. But that would be a somewhat simplistic view. The fact remains that the restaurant was created as an essentially sedentary activity, but also very much linked to travel and displacement: just think of the roadside inns that refreshed wayfarers. Some can still be found in Valtellina, suitably restored. Then came the fixed restaurant, the one for Sunday lunches that stood and remained there, as solid (and immovable) as a pyramid in Giza. Fast forward and we find ourselves in the era of superstar chefs travelling far and wide to bring their culinary wisdom, often to high-income countries. René Redzepi , leader of the highly influential New Nordic Cuisine, is the most striking example: between 2014 and 2016 he closed his headquarters in Copenhagen to go cooking with his entire staff, opening pop- ups in Tokyo, Sydney and Mexico City. With dinners at the time costing up to €600 per person. Now, however, there is more to it than that. Whether it is the result of the pandemic, or simply a stressful pace, the confinement of kitchens, the adventurous spirit that often dwells in these culinary creatives. Sometimes, too, the desire to bring a ‘different’ culture to as many people as possible. This is how the roving, or nomadic, chef is born. This is who these pioneers of the gastro-caravan are and what they are doing, or plan to do in the future. RONCORONI, VEGGIE ON WHEELS It is called PAS a vegetarian trip, the new adventure of Eugenio Roncoroni , an American-Milanese chef known in the city for having brought one of the first gourmet burgers to his restaurant ‘Al Mercato’. After leaving his restaurant two years ago, after a round of consulting, he changed course with a brand new project. On a veggievore bike he designed - a sort of food bike complete with fridge, mini pantry, grill, fryer and a tiny chef’s table (a sort of stand), Roncoroni travels around Milan offering plant-based cuisine. ‘Getting back into the game from scratch made me get my feet back on the ground and reflect on how important those things are that I haven’t repeated in a long time. Washing, drying, degreasing, pedalling, peeling, labelling, wrapping, burning, arranging, finishing the line, opening boxes, having finished the service and still finding everything to be sorted out, longing for a hot shower and finding it difficult to sleep even though every single part of your body is screaming for rest: in short, the daily gestures of a cook,’ says Roncoroni. And he expands on this thought: ‘I am more and more convinced that in our work when we forget these feelings, it means it is time for a change. For me, this Bike has become not only a new opportunity but also a life lesson’. Nella foto lo chef Lucio Pompili