Stefano Baiocco

Abelia, ceneraria fuxia, rumex atropurpureo, silene. We have to resort to a taxonomy worthy of botanical experts to find many of the aromatic herbs, shoots and sprouts and edible flowers – as many as a hundred or so in season – that Stefano Baiocco plants, tends, nourishes, cuts, extracts and places on his plates. The gymnasium that hosts this gastro-botanical exercise is Villa Feltrinelli in Gargnano, a cottage lapped by the waves of Lake Garda, which was restored some time ago to its original opulent, luxurious self, thanks to the American magnate of luxury Bob Burns, after decades of abandon since it was occupied by Benito Mussolini, who chose the Villa has his home for the last 16 months of his life.

It is on the slightly more neglected Brescian shore of Italy’s most fragrant lake that this chef from Ancona in the Marches, born in 1973, decided a few years ago to extend his vast knowledge of aromatic delights, which had already sprouted extensively under the roofs of the finest restaurants in Europe. A pilgrimage on which he embarked while still very young at Pinchiorri in Florence, continuing in Paris, at the courts of Alain Ducasse and Pierre Gagnaire, followed by Yokohama, New York, Hong Kong, Oxford and then Paris, Spain and back in Italy again where, in 2001, he enlisted as sous chef at Palazzo Sasso, at Ravello’s Rossellinis restaurant.

A star-studded apprenticeship, which can be observed in the photographic book entitled «Mise en Place», published by Consorzio Zafferano. Those who went to Gargnano still remember that Risotto alla Parmigiana with pickled rabbit shoulder and fried brains, an outstandingly delicious must-eat, characterised by a rare harmonisation of poor and noble components, a combination not be missed at the reopening of the Villa at Easter, after the long winter closure. Then we’ll be able to confirm the opinions and appreciations of those who already know him. Such as: «Impossible to remember all the chefs who’ve worked here: but Stefano’s outstanding professionalism and human qualities make him unforgettable», «I am very proud to have worked with you», or «Stefano is always seeking out the good, the beautiful and the truth». Signed (respectively) Ferran Adrià, Andoni Luis Aduriz and Pascal Barbot. Not just three random names.