25-05-2016
Born in 1990 he already has plenty of experience with great chefs, with Heinz Beck above all. The latter has now sent him to direct the sweet side of his Social by Heinz Beck restaurant in Dubai: Francesco Acquaviva tells his nice tale of career pastry chef at Identità Golose
Having been blessed to arrive in one of the best restaurants in the world, Heinz Beck’s La Pergola, after having visited like every young person many kitchens in Europe in search for an opportunity, I began a first “hands on” training experience in pastry making in the three starred restaurant in Rome.
Everyone arriving in one of the chef’s restaurants follows the same process: you start working hard right from the start – a decisive element in order to learn the job – something necessary so as to have the professionalism on which a future career is to be based.
The dessert presented by Acquaviva at Identità Milano 2016: born by a provocation of Beck’s, it’s a homage to the great Ennio Morricone. Eight ingredients, as many as the films in the composer’s career, creating a dessert of contrasts and exaggerations just like Quentin Tarantino’s films (Morricone won the Academy Award for the soundtrack of the latest film by the splatter genius’, The Hateful Eight)
When you work in a place such as La Pergola you obviously don’t immediately feel you’re constantly being observed by the chef, but I can assure you that he’s always present, whenever you make a mistake and in every instant in general. He looks over every step of yours, not to speak about the constant lessons which have made my luck as a pastry chef, still do and I hope will continue to do so in the future. Indeed, putting aside all the research I autonomously do on each dish, every dish is always created by sharing its shape and content with Beck himself.
Acquaviva at Identità Milano 2016
The city of Dubai engages you by surrounding you with colours, perhaps it’s even aggressive and the common image of a land of luxury and excess is true. But for those working there, it’s a great stimulus and professional challenge.
At the end of Francesco Acquaviva’s lesson at Identità Milano, the coup de theatre: a live streaming of Heinz Beck from Tokyo saying hallo to the congress and thanking Paolo Marchi
Now I must go on: I try to follow the indications of my superiors and I always hope to continue to be so lucky as to be guided by great culinary masters such as Beck, as well as perhaps acquire training experience in different cultures. And to find in these great professionals the availability to teach to young people like me the most important elements for my professional future.
Men who, for a moment, leave pots and pans to tell us their experience and point of view
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Born in Rome in 1990, despite being very young he’s already had plenty of experience: Giuda Ballerino, Il Convivio Troiani, Hosteria dell’Orso with Marchesi, then Colonna, Dacosta, Romito, Cracco,Perbellini. His mentor, however, is Heinz Beck: he has worked at La Pergola and is now in Dubai at Social by Heinz Beck
From Western concert flute to cakes