29-11-2014
All the eight Italian chefs with three stars together for the party in Milan celebrating the 60th anniversary of Italy’s Michelin Guide. Left to right, one can see Massimo Bottura, Bobo and Chicco Cerea, Massimiliano Alajmo, Heinz Beck, Niko Romito, Annie Feolde, Enrico Crippa, Giovanni and Nadia Santini
The first guide dedicated by Michelin to Italy was out in 1956 (and didn’t even cover the whole country, it stopped in Siena). The latest one, presented a couple of weeks ago, has edition 2015 written on the cover, edition number 60, that is. There have been many editions, and the same goes for the road covered by Bibendum leaving profound marks in the gastronomic heritage of our country, whether Italians may like it or not. So the Red Guide – the emblematic red shared with Ferrari -, celebrated itself and the Italian restaurant scene in a renovated industrial site around Via Mecenate in Milan.
It had never happened before that one could see, at the same time and in the same place, 24 stars at work, however, as pointed out with a touch of irony by one of the managers of the tire giant, “we are the Michelin Guide and chefs are always kind with us”. In other words: they are dead scared, no way one cannot be present. As Feolde said, the only woman in the world who lost the third star and then conquered it once again, “when they downgrade you, they kill you”. You are not perceived as a two-star, as before the ultimate promotion, but you become a failure. It is a meagre consolation when the inspectors say they made a mistake in judgement, what counts it is what was decided.
Nadia Santini and Annie Feolde, the ladies of the Italian restaurant scene
All the Michelin staff was present, starting from American Michael Ellis, that is to say the number one when it comes to guides. The party had an important moment between the finger food welcome and the main courses. Before dismissing the chefs from the stage, Massimiliano Alajmo received a sculpture depicting bibendum because he’s the youngest chef to receive three stars in the history of the Red Guide, including France, of course.
Massimiliano Alajmo with the sculpture he received because he was the youngest chef ever to be illuminated with three Michelin stars. This happened in 2002 - the chef from Padua had turned 28 in May
The events you cannot miss and all the news of topical interest from the food planet
by
born in Milan in March 1955, at Il Giornale for 31 years dividing himself between sports and food, since 2004 he's the creator and curator of Identità Golose. blog www.paolomarchi.it instagram instagram.com/oloapmarchi