Rather than points, I would talk about people, given that it is always the quality of relationships and human exchange that makes the difference. I began to discover the fantastic world – precisely in the sense of ‘fairy tale’ – of cooking very early on. It was my grandmother who led me by the hand, step by step, among perfumes, textures, colors that I could no longer – wanted to! – abandon. Of course, later another person who was decisive for me was Jean-Claude Fugier, long-time right-hand man of Alain Ducasse and also of Paul Bocuse: with him I came of age, professionally, I became aware of the precise form my culinary expression would have taken on.

I would mention three. Winning the 2014 edition of the reality cooking show ‘Hell’s Kitchen Italia,’ which gave me visibility that would have been difficult to achieve otherwise. The years of work alongside a master like Jean-Claude Fugier in Asia, which gave me the opportunity to learn a method and understand what Asian and French cuisine are, and clarified the concept of excellence for me. The third turning point was lighting up our venues, putting our ideas on display every day. Ideas that are not only about cooking: we like to personally take care of every detail, from the marble tables to the dishes and glasses – entrusting their creation to talented and trusted artist-professionals.

Of course. For all of us, eating and drinking is a hobby, as well as something related to the profession. We really enjoy it, we relax by going together to places where food and wine call us. I love Anne-Sophie Pic’s style, her use of citrus fruits, her elegance, and lightness in the kitchen. The oriental touch that Takao Takano brings to classic French dishes closely concerns me. And a dinner at Victor Arguinzoniz – Asador Extebarri – is unmissable, for the essentiality of what he proposes, his unique ability to handle wood and embers, to modulate temperatures – he is a master of fire.

Let’s say that the mood of the day greatly influences my preferences, and thus the dishes I decide to create. I am interested in every ingredient. I have a preference for fresh, daily, and seasonal products. The wines themselves, for me, must be natural: this search has yielded surprising results over time, and I have discovered local producers of the highest level.

Instinctive. In my opinion, everything that is inherent to creation is compared with intuition. Otherwise it would be enough to simply copy – verbatim – the already existing recipes. I have a complex approach, even finding myself at the crossroads of different cuisines – Asian, French -, but in the end I have to ‘feel’ the dish, make it my own. I don’t like exhibitionism at all, on the contrary. In any case, I really like the Asian inspiration. Another feature that I love is lightness, at every level. If the tone with which I create my recipes is light, the dish itself must be equally light.

Let’s say that the mood of the day has a great influence on preferences, and therefore also on the dishes I decide to prepare. In fact, Elena complains about the fact that I often have to reprint menus as I go because I decided to make variations based on what I felt… However, every ingredient interests me. I have a predilection for fresh, daily and seasonal products. The wines themselves must, for me, be natural: this research has given surprising results over time, with Elena we have managed to discover local producers of the highest level.

It is in transit today. Evolution, change, are everything to me. I don’t like to stand still at all, and I want the guest to find something new every time. At least that’s what I would expect when visiting a place. I like to convey the sense of research, of something that is moving. How would I like it to be? A gastronomic playground! Earlier, I spoke of research: but this does not have to be serious; indeed, the playful aspect is the best part of being a chef. We consider ourselves very fortunate because our job necessarily involves having fun.

I don’t see this clear cut continuity. When you love what you do, the need for rest is relative. We don’t really switch off even when we’re on vacation. We like discovering dishes we don’t know, talking to chefs. In particular, I really like seeing the markets, the fruit and vegetables, the local products. In the world, every market is different – the colours, the voices of the street vendors – this has always fascinated me. If, however, you are referring to something else, to passions cultivated in your free time, well, I read books – about cooking! – and it relaxes me a lot to look after and cuddle my dogs.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE OF MATTEO GRANDI