15-11-2016
A souvenir photo on the stage of Teatro Regio di Parma, for the new stars in the 2017 edition, 62nd, of the Michelin Italia guide. In the middle, behind the global director Michael Ellis, there are tri-starred Heinz Beck, Annie Feolde and Nadia Santini. Enrico Bartolini, star performer of the day, is third from the left. Four stars for him thanks to three brand new restaurants.
If anyone had any doubt regarding the marketing and communication skills of the French, the presentation of the Guida Michelin Italia 2017 in Parma must have solved those doubts for good. While in Italy we confirm our primacy in self-destruction because there’s never a moment on planet food that sees people united, at least in public, in fact the more you do you more you get criticised, the Red Guide takes its 62nd edition to the town of Maria Luigia and skilfully promotes made-in-Italy. Chapeau.
This is the result of the brilliant behind-the-scenes work of a chef-producer such as Massimo Spigaroli, of the acumen of mayor Federico Pizzarotti, who after all is an heretic follower of Grillo, and of the Emilia Romagna region which focuses as few others on its food excellences (they have 44 European PDOs and PGIs, a record in the entire Union) and on starred restaurant. This going beyond his majesty Massimo Bottura with association Chef to Chef, 22 in total, even though they have no positive news and the only news was negative as the very Parma lost its two-decade-old star at Al Tramezzo. Not to mention the closing in Piacenza of Antica Osteria del Teatro.
Enrico Bartolini, star performer at the presentation of the Michelin 2017 guide. After ending the experience at Devero in Cavenago, he opened three restaurants in Milan, Bergamo and Maremma, and received a poker of stars, respectively two, one and one
And now the winners in an edition with a total of 343 glorious places instead of last year’s 334. No news in terms of three stars, they’re still eight. There are five new two stars (now 41 in total) and 28 new one stars (the total is 294). The utmost winner is Enrico Bartolini who changed everything, moving from Devero in Cavenago to Mudec in Milan, without this influencing the final judgement. In fact he got two more medals for his other two recent openings: Casual in Bergamo, with chef Cristopher Carraro, and the Trattoria in Castiglione della Pescaia in Maremma, with chef Marco Ortolani. Italians are not accustomed to launching three places in just a few months and see them immediately praised by the Red Guide, though in the first case he moved the restaurant, so it’s not totally new.
Scoop for Giuseppe Casagrande on L’Adige, the newspaper based in Trento: he anticipated the second star for Alfio Ghezzi at Locanda Margon and the loss of Cristian Bertol at Orsogrigio in Ronzone, also in Trentino
And for once Rome doesn’t suffer the comparison with Milan. In fact it wins as a province. The city of Expo toasts to Bartolini and Guida (with such a surname, he’s predestined…) as well as to Felice Lo Basso (from Unico to Piazza Duomo the star remains) and Luigi Taglienti, shining once again at Lume as he used to do at Trussardi after a long pause. However, there are 5 new stars in the capital: Assaje, Bistrot 64, The Corner, Magnolia and Per Me Giulio Terrinoni. When it comes to regions and provinces, Lombardy is always at the top, with 58 places, in front of Piedmont and Campania, both at 39, but Campania is third since they have no three stars.
As for provinces, Naples still leads with 23 restaurants and 29 stars (6 two-stars and 17 one-stars) in front of Rome, second, a nice leap ahead thanks to 12 restaurants and a total of 25 stars. Bolzano and Milan are both third, 18 places and 23 stars overall.
Antonio Guida (photo Luca Iaccarino)
Finally, no stars for Matias Perdomo’s Contraste in Milan and Gianluca Gorini’s Le Giare in Montiano (Forlì-Cesena), Paolo Lopriore, now at Appiano Gentile (Como), and Christoph Bob at Monastero Santa Rosa in Conca dei Marini (Salerno). Many are surprised but it’s right as it is: we all think differently, sign our work and let the market judge us. A third of my stars would have been different, more or less, but then I curate the Identità Guide, lucky or not, depending on each case and each chef.
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born in Milan in March 1955, at Il Giornale for 31 years dividing himself between sports and food, since 2004 he's the creator and curator of Identità Golose. blog www.paolomarchi.it instagram instagram.com/oloapmarchi