Diego Rossi

Credits Brambilla-Serrani

Credits Brambilla-Serrani

Trippa

via Giorgio Vasari, 1
(angolo via Muratori)
+39.327.6687908 

LEGGI LA SCHEDA SULLA GUIDA 2019

«I never base myself on what clients like. It would be like following trends. My starting point is the dish». This is a summary of Diego Rossi’s philosophy. It might sound snob, but it shows where he stands: cooking and ingredients are crucial. A chef with a starred pedigree, Rossi owes his fame to the trattoria he opened in Milan, Trippa. The name is emblematic: «In Italian ‘trippa’ means something concrete, substantial. The kitchens where I previously worked were not like that». Indeed, you have to start from his previous experience to understand how he got here, to an osteria whose identity is based on what’s essential.

The adventure starts in Verona, where he fed on farmers’ products and know how. First catering school, then a restaurant, then the starred experiences: in Liguria, Venice, at St.Hubertus with Norbert Niederkofer. He arrived there as a paying guest, and got a job. And then Antiche Contrade in Cuneo and a boutique hotel in Bolzano. And finally Milan. He researched, looked around, experimented. And started with a clear view of what he had in mind and most of all of what he didn’t want to do: «I no longer found starred restaurants thrilling».

He made use of those experiences both when it came to organise the kitchen, and in terms of techniques. But his philosophy was completely different: «Less embellishing, but more respect for products - to keep them truthful, untouched – and simpler processes». To him, the menu is not a point of arrival, but a starting point: «We change it whenever we want. People are used to finding everything, always. But it’s not natural. You lose the romanticism of expectation. If you can have something always, you’ll no longer want it. I cook what I want, and if something is finished, too bad».

It’s a journey of growth that Diego considers still in progress: «There’s always something to learn, and someone who knows things better than you. There’s no end to research, especially with Italy’s biodiversity and richness of products». The revolution doesn’t end in the kitchen, but involves the way life is organised too: less hours in the osteria, more time outside, to find new inspiration, because «it is only by looking around that you’ll find interesting ideas». Trippa is only open in the evening, the first part of the day is dedicated to searching raw materials and based on what they find, they create the menu.

Even more than zero kilometre, his cuisine is ‘zero waste’: creativity and technical skills serve to make the best use of the ingredients’ potential. An example? «When I get a fish, I first sell the head, then the cheeks and the front, and then when I make the filet, I use everything, including the bone marrow which I serve raw, with a teaspoon». Extravagant? In fact, it’s an extreme form of respect for raw materials. Attention, though: «If you usually arrive at a restaurant with arrogance, at Trippa you won’t eat anything, because you must have the same humility you’d use when entering the home of someone you don’t know». 

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