Relæ, at the heart of ingredients

On Sunday the 5th March, Christian Puglisi will speak at Identità Milano for the third time. After opening Relæ (in 2010), the chef from Messina now in Copenhagen extended the claws in the Danish capital: wine bar Manfreds & Vin which serves small dishes, bakery (a reductive word) Mirabelle, pizzeria (even in this case it’s more than a pizzeria) Bæst and, more recently, Rudo, an aperitif bar launched inside the new-born Danish Eataly.

If in the past 7 years Puglisi has managed to alternate effectively the job of chef and entrepreneur it is thanks to having put the right people in the right place. Like Jonathan Tam, promoted head chef at Relae last June and co-speaker next to him in a few days’ time. He’s not the first Canadian chef elbowing his way through Denmark – like Ben Ing, current head chef at Noma, or Daniel Burns, pastry chef who opened (and has now closed) Luksus in New York. «I found Copenhagen a great place for Canadians to learn because our seasons and produce are very similar, so what we learn in Scandinavia can easily translate to Canada», confirms the guy, originally from Edmonton, Alberta.

The liaison between Tam and Puglisi has been going on for almost a decade: «I met Christian back in November 2007», says the 31-year old chef, «He was sous chef at Noma. I went there to start my internship and Christian was the first person I met when I walked through the doors». Redzepi’s school made them so close that in 2010 they made their solo leap together at Nørrebro, in the northwest suburbs of the city.

At the time, Jægersborggade was populated by pushers and lowlife. In the space of five years it became a highly desired food street with small and large high quality restaurants. This was thanks to Relæ, a tow-restaurant that soon received wide consensus also thanks to its separating itself from the Noma paradigm, with Italian raw materials («why was I to give up on olive oil?» was one of Puglisi’s historic statements) and an approach which, though the dish presentation was seemingly simple, hid the intention to penetrate ingredients deep. And to focus more and more on sustainability.

Seven years and a Michelin star later, the aim hasn’t changed a bit: «Now I’m head chef, I do not want to find a new way for Relæ but to continue building on what Christian created – to make this possible we both have to be on the same page all the time. Christian and I work even closer together than before. We are constantly evaluating Relæ to see how we can continue to evolve the cuisine but still hold on to the same philosophy as when we started back in 2010». Utter faith.

The novelty in terms of continuity is the Farm of Ideas, bought a few months back in Abbetved, a 40-minute drive from town: it supplies the restaurant with an increasing amount of vegetables and milk and dairy products from 8 Jersey cows. A domain to be extended in the future, both in size and influence on the menus of the Puglisi group. An influence it already has: «Our main inspiration at Relæ», confirms Tam, «comes from our farm. We had our first harvest of vegetables last spring. This has led us to a new direction. It is our close day-to-day relationships with farmers that predicts what goes on to the menu».

And the progression of season, which in the current winter menu translates into an interesting series of broths, like the generous and structured one with grilled carrots of the Carrots and lemon thyme, a great dish matching the sweetness of the carrots – many different varieties, cut in thin slices and lightly steamed – with the acidity of the lemon thyme. «Broth is a reflection of the season», says Tam, «Since it is winter we mostly have root vegetables which often become heavy components in dishes. So using them to make broths allows me to extract their flavour and give dishes body without making them too heavy».

The Italian accent is still there, as in the Mushroom, almond and sourdough, a brand new example of pasta-non-pasta: «The inspiration comes from Cacio e pepe. We get these mushrooms from a farm in Sweden that grows them really big for us. It is a white portobello [of the champignon family]. We then cut them in long strips like pasta. Gently cook them in a mushroom broth and toss them in a sauce made out of almond milk. We season this with a bit of black pepper and our dried sourdough bread to give it a bit of extra texture and acidity». Two light and voluptuous mouthfuls.

They’ll hold a lesson together in Milan, worth listening to from end to end: «We want to talk about the Relæ experience menu, how we change the format to account for the entire experience and just craft a menu compiled of mix dishes. This new format allows us to go deeper with the ingredient».