A meal as an experience, a journey into the flavors and traditions of Italian cuisine: Chef Rosario De Luca’s ambitious goal is mouthwatering to say the least. “When I cook, I try to give an experience. A sensorial journey. An experience you can taste: It’s a sort of psychologic conditioning,” the Roman chef explains with enthusiasm.
“If I make mushrooms for example, I will make you think about mountains. One type of mushroom is tied to a certain region, the Dolomites for instance. If you’re not aware of it, I can talk about it with the dish presentation,” he adds. The restaurant client can pick a sea, air or land menu to live a related experience, tasting all dishes that will transport him/her to the chosen element of the planet. A very interesting concept, that makes people eat with awareness and awakens their senses.
“People don’t usually think about what they eat, they don’t pay the right attention to flavors” chef De Luca says.
But flavors have to power to make you travel with your palate.
In particular, Mr. De Luca wants to take his customers on a virtual trip through the rediscovery of the taste and tradition of Italian cuisine.
Following chef Davide Scabin’s philosophy, chef Rosario believes tradition is the best innovation and he focuses on bringing to the table the “dishes from our past that are able to give us emotions, those recipes our moms and grandmothers used to prepare for us, those flavors that bring us back to our childhood”.
In order to be competitive and not become obsolete, traditions have to keep evolving and adapting. Sometimes in some areas an ingredient is not available, and you substitute it with another. Sometimes the trends and food culture change. For instance, nowadays it is advisable for a restaurant to offer some vegan options on its menu.
Mr. De Luca wants to spread the love for real Italian cuisine around the world. Authenticity is key. “Many recipes are corrupted by American taste. There are many preparations with heavy cream and sauces which in Italian cuisine are rare,” the chef comments. Italian cuisine is very appreciated because of its simplicity: It’s not heavy nor fat. It uses few ingredients, mostly olive oil instead of butter and heavy cream.
Chef De Luca believes in Igles Corelli’s circular cooking philosophy and waste-free cuisine. “I am experimenting a leavening water made with the skin of onions, carrots, zucchini, potatoes. They macerate for eight days in water and that natural juice can be used as yeast thanks to its strong bacterial load,” explains Rosario, who specialized in making fresh pasta.
Instead of trying to cut costs using lower quality products, the Roman chef suggest to use ingredients to the fullest, avoiding any waste. “For example, I am making bread-gnocchi from stale bread. Their taste is fantastic,” he says.
Chef De Luca, who started his career at the famous Cacciani restaurant in Frascati (Rome area) and still works there when he is not consulting restaurateurs all over the world. He collaborates with the “Pizza and Passione” Institute, which specializes in the education of pizzamakers and executive chefs. Mr. De Luca teaches master classes on kitchen managing and topping, the art of decorating dishes before serving them to clients, a prerogative of executive chefs.
