Redzepi, a king in Roero/1

Renè Redzepi arrives in Italy and the noise this makes is as thunderous as ever. Even on a sunny and calm Sunday in June, in Roero. Every year, for the past seven years, the Enoteca Regionale in Canale (Cuneo) pays a tribute to someone who has been capable of highlighting countryside values through his or her cuisine. People as famous as Victor Arguinzoniz, Michel Bras, Alain Ducasse, Antonio Santini. «As for Redzepi, we had to hunt him down», debuted the president of the Enoteca Luciano Bertello during the very crowded press conference «chasing him through various continents wasn’t easy but in the end he arrived, together with his great humbleness». And together with his brand new sous chef at Noma, Daniel Giusti from New Jersey, Italian speaking thanks to a happy experience at Bertinotti’s Pinocchio in Borgomanero.

What link is there, between the vegetable gardens in Roero and the endless fields in Denmark? «Despite their different proportions, they express the same thing», finely explained moderator Fiammetta Fadda, «that is to say the effort that man makes to source his food». Among the audience, there were also some of Piedmont’s leading gourmet and traditional cuisine protagonists, who, at the end of the day would seal the tribute to the number one chef in the world with a great, 8-hands-menu: patrons Davide and Ivana Palluda, Enrico Crippa of Piazza Duomo in Alba, Massimo Camia of Barolo and Gemma Boeri of Osteria da Gemma in Roddino.

It took Redzepi a while to overcome the surprise for the great and unanticipated clamour: «I wasn’t expecting such a welcome, you Italians are truly from another world, when compared to us». The chef then held court illustrating a series of important concepts in his way of seeing his cuisine and the future of his establishment. Concepts that it is worth reporting in his own words, because they include a preview of some important news.

ITALY. «I don’t always accept all the prizes they offer me. Awarding a Dane is somewhat surreal because Italy is the land of everything. This is how we see you from the Great North: in Denmark, people only come for Copenhagen, Italy is like 20 Denmarks put together. Even if tonight I were to dine at Piazza Duomo, I would only try a smallest part of your cuisine. I’m strongly connected to Piedmont: we work with the university in Pollenzo very much. Besides, I strongly respect a cuisine that uses 40 eggs when making pasta and would do anything not to throw away the egg whites».

100% VEGETARIAN. The big news of the day. We try to ask him if the current percentage of vegetables served at the restaurant (80%) is destined to reach 100, with the final removal of meat and fish from the menu. «We’re working in that direction», he reveals unexpectedly, «it’s a challenge that doesn’t scare me. Our great Achilles’ heel is the long [repeated five times in a row] and dark Danish winter. In order to have every year a winter menu based on vegetables alone, we need to have resources and skills we still do not have. But we’re working extensively on the study of leavening and fermentation processes [we will cover these tomorrow]. In order to get to the end of the cold season, it is necessary to prolong and develop the life and the aromas of edible products». How long is the road to get to a 100% Vegetarian Noma? «It’s still long. However, we will certainly get there before I turn 50». Redzepi is currently 37.

1. to be continued