A new international blog about italian food has been launched by Food Editore. One of the first articles is an interview I have realized with the young italian chef Diego Rigotti rewarded by the prestigious Michelin guide as the best emerging italian chef.

Read it here:

My name is Diego and I am the youngest italian chef awarded by Michelin guide!

Bocuse d’Or, the worldwide popular cooking competition is coming, Italy will be represented by Diego Rigotti (only 30 years old!) who has also been awarded  as the youngest Italian chef by the most prestigious gastronomic guide: the French “Michelin”, recently published, allowing us to reflects about the role of youngs in our society.

He has worked with some of the main chef both in Italy and in France. Today he is the chef of Maso Franch in Trentino, a region in the north of Italy, as well as the executive chef of fine Golden Palace in Torino (in Piedmont).

Who is Diego and which recipe represents you well?

The most important thing is to identify yourself with a specific cousine and be coherent. Do not do too much, start from you tradition, put your heart and that’s all. I start from traditional recipes and I add my original touch even in the presentation. My flagship is “Sottobosco” a dessert which reproduce a wood: chocolate for the ground, biscuits for the moss, meringues as mushroom.

Is “nouvelle cousine” only a trend nowadays?

It is not, I believe in the presentation of the food you serve. It represents a way to communicate to the client.

Why Italian cousine is different, sometimes even better?

Because we have everything, we have high quality products to start with. Even French come here to buy them; each region in Italy has special local products and traditions to be discovered. Last but not least we are the only ones with “the first course”: pasta and risotto are just Italian and widely appreciated.

So, why the Italian cousine has to be judged by  French?

This is our limit! We do not really support our “brand” with relative initiatives, we do not invest enough. My path has not been easy, mostly because of my age until I have met the owners of Maso Franch: they believed in my ability so we started some years ago with 1 structures, we have 6 now!

“Youngs” is often a crucial theme: what’s your opinion?

Italy does not believe in youngs, for example I am having difficulties in finding sponsors to go to Stockholm in May where I have been selected to participate in the Bocuse d’Or Europe, to represent Italy. In other countries youngs are sponsored by the government itself.

What would you suggest to food-lovers who try to cook at home?

Do not follow all of those TV programs, they are nice but prepare what you feel, be simple and follow your own tradition, do not try to copy someone else.