Ferdinando Martinotti

On November 2010, the Italian food world was shaken by a big news: "The Stoppanis sold Peck”. The news is true only if we consider two of the four brothers, Mario and Remo, but it’s false on the other half because Angelo, the eldest, and Lino, the youngest, still rule the oldest gourmet shop in Milan with two new partners, Bca Group’s Cristian Cantaluppi and Luca Monica. The latter is a well known person in our world because of the tons of passion he always poured on launching excellent products, many of them unknown before. The news’ face watches ahead, toward the future because Peck, in Milan’s via Spadari, can no longer be confined to Milan only and to counter sales as well as the Italian Bar in the nearby via Cantù, needs to be conceived with new eyes.

New ideas, new impulses. Those who are just used to buy products in the shop can’t really figure out what’s hidden in the back office. The Stoppanis produce in fact most of the delicacies they sell: sausages, mascarpone, bresaola, pastries and ice-creams just like cheese cakes, sauces and all the dishes from appetizers to pasta or rice recipes and main courses from the gastronomy department, fantastic delicacies to take away. Ferdinando Martinotti is the chef who overviews the work in the kitchen. Born in Stresa, on Maggiore lake in Piedmont, some 40 years ago, he’s been working in via Spadari since October 2004. It’s an important role, though not so showy: it’s a spot where you have to demonstrate to know the whole alphabet of cuisine, without craving the desire to impress by using special effects as it may happen into many restaurants. Paradoxically, Martinotti performs better when nobody notices him. His saffron risotto always comes out perfect and the pesto sauce sends you in a flash back to the holidays in Liguria.