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Day 2 of Identità Golose was opened by Italy's newest three Michelin starred chef Niko Romito who focused on four base ingredients of shrimp, artichoke, almonds and sea bass in his presentation. The chef discussed the importance of the 'Made in Italy' brand and how every dish must now tell its own unique story.
Anyone still involved with the debate around not enough female chefs in the industry was given food for thought as the Italian chef Massimo Bottura took to the stage to followed by six of his female staff members. Each one of them presented a dish they have personally created at the Osteria Francescana kitchen as Bottura took the opportunity to remind the audience that the team is bigger than the ego.
Fine Dining Lovers interviewed the Spanish chef Quique Dacosta who spoke about current research at his restaurant in Valencia and how his menu has now evolved to contain a number of acts that express either a specific ingredient, such as tomato, or a specific set of techniques. He also spoke about his hope for the future of gastronomy in Spain. This was followed by an interview with the Japanese chef and master of umami Yoshiaki Takazawa. Takazawa discussed his unique form of cuisine that combines popular dishes from Kyoto - such as kombu and dashi - and mixes them with Italian ingredients such as pasta and artichokes, he also offered a fascinating insight into the future of Umami research, expressing his feelings that there is still lots to discover.
Throughout the day, a new series of presentations debuted focusing on the use of water and it's importance in the kitchen. Called Identità d’Acqua, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, the talks took place across a series of five presentations that focused on topics such as: seawater in cooking, water and ice, and the use of water in pastry making.
Back to the main halls and Gaston Acurio was given a warm reception as he spoke about the development of Peruvian cuisine and his latest project which is expected to open in Match (more on that later). After wowing audiences with his presentation on Democratic Intelligence, the Brazilian chef Rodrigo Oliveira from the Mocoto restaurant in Sao Paulo joined us to discuss his work unearthing new and often undiscovered Brazilian ingredients. He also spoke about working on his first book which is set to launch this year.
The third and final day will have a particular focus on Thailand with Bangkok based chefs Dylan Jones and Bo Songvisava from the Bo.lan restaurant, Prin Polsuk from Nahm and Chumpol Jangprai from Siam Wisdoms all presenting.
Stay tuned for more.
