01-04-2014
Sala Risorgimento, inside restaurant Del Cambio in Piazza Carignano in Torino, tel. +39.011.546690. The new establishment by Matteo Baronetto, previously by Carlo Cracco’s side for 18 years, will open to the public on Monday April 14th, after 12 months of great renovations and works that aim at transforming this historic salon into a gastronomic point of reference in the capital of Piedmont
We announced Matteo Baronetto’s great emancipation in October 2013. Almost six months later, a group of journalists from all around Italy met in Piazza Carignano in Torino for a preview of the extremely ambitious project led by the star from Giaveno. In fact, at that time he had already spent one year personally looking after the design and renovations of the kitchens at Del Cambio, the Savoy salon par excellence, opened for the first time in 1757.
Vegetale salad, the first dish of Baronetto’s era at Del Cambio
The rebirth, risorgimento in Matteo Baronetto’s dishes implies a «meditative, though not too much, cuisine», the excited 37-year-old chef explained during his assignment speech, «analysing the Piedmontese essence, to which I am rooted. I always had the ambitious of returning here. Because you can eat very well in Torino. And because sooner or later, the time comes when you need to make a leap». Those who expected to find fried sea-bass on a hazelnut brittle or kidney paired with sea urchins in the menu were left disappointed. The chef is too intelligent to try to replicate Cracco’s logic in a context that is so distant from Via Victor Hugo in Milan.
The kitchens were designed by the chef from Giaveno
We finish the description of the setting. This is spread over multiple rooms and destined to multiple audiences. On the ground floor, next to Sala Risorgimento, there’s Sala Pistoletto, named after the master of Arte Povera Michelangelo Pistoletto, from Biella, who designed the 8 fun human figures portrayed on mirror-plates, in a room with a more antique structure than the “first room” (the room dates back to the 18th century) but made more current and smart thanks to the decor. «Del Cambio», Denegri stressed «must be a place for everyone, whether they come from Torino or not, a democratic place, not a snob one». This explains the multi-faceted offer: beside the à-la-carte menu and the tasting one, the score includes a light lunch and a déjeuner à la forchette, a sort of Parisian ancestor of brunch.
Matteo Baronetto, 37, and entrepreneur Michele Denegri, 45
Del Cambio Piazza Carignano, 2 Torino +39.011.546690 Closed on Sunday night Bar Cavour open until 1.30 am Average restaurant prices: à la carte 100-120 euros Tasting menu 120-140 euros Twitter: @delcambiotorino
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born in Milan, 1973, freelance journalist, coordinator of Identità Golose World restaurant guidebook since 2007, he is a contributor for several magazines and teaches History of gastronomy and Culinary global trends into universities and institutes. twitter @gabrielezanatt instagram @gabrielezanatt