Tony Mantuano, the pioneer

In 1983 Tony Mantuano arrived in Italy, from where his own family and his wife’s come from. He spent a year collecting experiences and ideas – in fine dining restaurants, such as Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio or Da Romano in Viareggio – and then, the following year, he returned to the United States and opened his restaurant in Chicago. He called it Spiaggia and it was a great success right away.

This success still continues, as demonstrated, for example, by the choice made by Barak Obama of celebrating his first election as President, in 2008, in that very restaurant. As we wait for his lecture at Identità Milano 2015, during a conversation with Mantuano we asked him, first of all, what he will talk about on the stage of Identità di Pasta, on Tuesday 10th February.

«Since the theme of the congress is "a healthy intelligence" and therefore the focus is on health, I will certainly speak about our gluten-free pasta, which we have included in our menu for some time now, and of all we are doing to be aware of this theme in our restaurant.»

Gluten-free pasta is certainly an interesting theme: have you noticed a growing demand?

«Our clients ask it more and more, yes. What is important for me is satisfying clients, making them happy, and serving them pasta that is always delicious, even if we use gluten-free raw materials. I want to make pasta that even those who never eat gluten-free food can enjoy.»

Don’t you think people request it also because it is trendy? That many people say they want gluten-free pasta without having celiac disease?

«For sure, many are not allergic or intolerant: they have this rather distorted perception, they think that by eating gluten-free they will feel better, because they have heard somewhere this is what happens...»

Going back to your story: what was the sparkle that made you decide to start this adventure in the restaurant industry?

«My wife Cathy and I both have Italian origins. We have always lived surrounded by this culture. For instance, my grandparents had a grocery store and their specialty was indeed Italian products. When we tried to open a restaurant, however, we wanted to offer an experience that had to be totally authentic. The luck we had, of being able to work for a year in some splendid Italian starred restaurants before opening, is something that still inspires and influences our work.»

Did your relationship with Italy remain very constant in the following years?

«Of course, every year we visit Italy a few times, to keep always fresh and up-to-date, trying to explore the flavours and the many gastronomic cultures that characterise your country. Cathy’s family comes from Molise: almost every year we go to San Martino in Pensilis, where in April the village festival, called Carrese, takes place, where on top of a cart race lots of unique dishes are prepared, typical not just of the region, but of that very village. San Martino’s Pampanella is one of my favourite dishes.»

How would you explain the evolution that the perception of Italian cuisine has had in the last thirty years in the American public?

«When we started, in America people expected to eat Spaghetti with meatballs at an Italian restaurant. When we decided to offer signature cuisine, almost everyone advised us against it, thinking it was absurd, for fine dining at the time was only in French style. Today there are fine dining Italian restaurants all around the world. Thirty years ago I believed there was a huge growing potential and I still think so. The work Eataly is doing in the world, and the success it is having in the United States, for instance, proves that Italy is a model everyone aspires to and admires, and not only when it comes to cooking.»