Brambilla-Serrani
località Torre Garga, 9 87055 - San Giovanni in Fiore (Cosenza) +39 0984 970078
Three words are enough to represent young Antonio Biafora: intelligent, passionate, balanced.
His story is deeply rooted: Biafora in San Giovanni in Fiore turned 40 last June, «my grandfather Antonio had a tavern close by and he would come to build a wall, or the tables, as soon as he finished there», says Antonio Jr. Antonio Sr. was part restaurateur, part carpenter, plumber, bricklayer, while grandmother Serafina ran the kitchen. She would feed local workers with simple dishes, then looked after the animals («My brother Luca and I were born surrounded by rabbits and pigs») and she’s still tending the vegetable garden.
A story of sweat and sacrifices: the current hotel Biafora (and restaurant Hyle), with a nice spa and a real and very enjoyable resort, was built brick by brick, «my father Giuseppe built the rooms in 1988. Since the early days of the millennium we also came to help». ‘We’ means Antonio jr, born in 1985, and Luca, born in 1988, respectively in the kitchen and in the dining room. Their strength, on top of their work, is Sila, a culinary goldmine: «We always have plenty of aromatic herbs even though the best plants grow in the spring. There are mushrooms almost all year round. And some truffle. There are excellent small local suppliers: for instance, we get goat’s milk from a man who lives 200 metres away».
Biafora is sold out especially during the summer, when many people visit San Giovanni in Fiore, 1,250 metres above the sea level, to escape the heat: we work a lot during those months and invest what we earn to improve. We have hired a bricklayer and two maintenance men». The desire to grow, part of Antonio’s DNA, continues: «until I turned 25, I worked in the dining room, then I thought I wanted to run our hotel but I was missing the kitchen experience». Hence he attended Alma and then worked with Frank Rizzuti and Francesco Bracali, until he returned, five years ago. And he’s never left the kitchen since.
by
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
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The protagonists of the 12th edition of Identità di Pasta, scheduled on Saturday 25th September in Sala Blu 1 at MiCo in Via Gattamelata, Milan (for registrations, click here). From the top left corner: Carlo Cracco, Andrea Berton, Antonio Biafora. Below: Antonio Ziantoni, Domingo Schingaro and Takeshi Iwai
All the young stars rewarded in Milan by the 2021 Guida ai ristoranti di Identità Golose, online as of today (photo by Sonia Santagostino, collage by Manuel Crippa)
Antonio and Luca Abbruzzino, father and son: they completely renovated their restaurant in Catanzaro Lido (photos by Tanio Liotta)