21-11-2014
Oscar Farinetti and Niko Romito at the ribbon cutting ceremony: Spazio – the third in the series, this one is inside Eataly in Rome – is now open to the public (photos by Claudia Del Bianco)
Giovanna, the mum, is beaming: three lines of pearls, intertwined and a smile that shines even more: «My Niko always told me: “Mum, you must have faith”». Now he has this sentence engraved on a painting, prominently hanging at Reale in Castel di Sangro. Here, however, we’re in the Roman location of Eataly and there’s also owner Oscar Farinetti dispensing smiles, which he pulls out with a pride that is highly justified: «Stazione Ostiense was a lost place. Today it gives work to 532 young people». This number is soon to be updated: today a new restaurant opens on the third floor of what used to be the scandal-building of Italia ’90 and was then turned into a temple of food. Signing the dishes, there’s the person whom Farinetti himself defines as «one of the coolest chefs, in fact the coolest one, together with Massimo Bottura» (who, it is no coincidence, a few months ago launched the kitchen inside Eataly Istanbul, «with an incredible success»): that is to say Niko Romito.
Spazio is the name of the new gourmet place in the capital: like its other two little brothers already born in Rivisondoli, in the headquarters of Reale before it moved, and in the island of Salina, they are all children of Romito and of the school that is in the building next door to today’s Reale («They are only separated by a door»): because it is run by the old students of the school and this is where the last months of internship of the students take place. Niko Romito Formazione was born in 2011, the “pilot” Spazio in Rivisondoli soon afterwards – a success, straight away. Now there’s Rome, «and it will go brilliantly», Farinetti foresees, looking ahead: «We will open the next one in an Eataly store abroad».
Romito with his team: it will be made of 12 people guided by Gaia Giordano, 42, from Rome (to his left), and Federico Campolattaro, 30, from Caserta (to his right)
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journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief