Bigger, stronger, better, healthier

Lots of quality yet “with a calculator”, capable of producing profits; craftsmanship capable of escaping the “small is good” syndrome; good food that has to be healthy too. Tomorrow’s restaurant scene is based on these concepts and it was among the protagonists in the Expo delle Idee, the event organised in Milan as a summoning of all the projects that aim at creating content for the Expo2015 theme "Feeding the planet, energy for life".

"Set an extra place at the table: tomorrow’s restaurants" was the theme of a workgroup coordinated by Paolo Marchi with a team of experts capable of tracing the perspectives of this industry starting from case histories. As in the case of Claudio Liu, owner of Iyo, the first Japanese starred restaurant in Italy: «I like to say: my cuisine is global. This is the future». The latter is also nourished with the past, however, and sometimes recuperates the relationship with the earth and gives life and money to those farmers and breeders that a high quality cuisine must and can safeguard. Testimonial Franco Pepe: «Today we are creating a small ecosystem around our pizzeria, all we need we produce it there». Then Pietro Zito, chef-farmer who in these times of recession has doubled his turnover: «I’m sure of what I serve because I grow it».

This is a turning point. We need a pact among different categories, urges Lucio Cavazzoni of Alce Nero: «I refer to a “proximity-based agriculture”», in which the restaurant becomes a spring for the territory. «We already do this», reply Carlo Cracco and Massimo Bottura. The former explains that at Identità Milano he will be the narrator of his territory around Vicenza, «I will speak about fiolaro broccoli from Creazzo». The latter thinks about a «big project to build an Italian gastronomy» with the chefs called to teach and complement the lessons of catering school teachers; the dialogue between different participants in the sector; an effective communication aimed at the world; the sector’s de-bureaucratisation. Concepts on which Marco Reitano, sommelier at La Pergola in Rome, agrees: «Internships should last at least 12 months». This is also true because, as pointed out by Cracco, «young people once started to gain experience at 14, today they start 6 years later».

This is one of the limits in the Italian restaurant scene, there are more. It is true «it represents one third of Italian food consumption, it is a tool to build customs», underlines Lino Stoppani, Fipe president. All this, however, occurs in a scene in which «high-end restaurants still have no economic relevance. We need to create richness and workplaces, instead»: this is the invitation of Max Bergami, of the Bologna Business School, because – Maurizio Patron of Electrolux adds - «we need to define a sort of district», that is to say «we need to create second and third lines because excellence by itself has volumes too low», replies Cracco. Severino Salvemini, professor at Bocconi thus sums up: «The restaurant scene must grow, it must make high quality and greater dimensions meet. Chefs should become entrepreneurs; institutions should promote them». We need to «codify recipes in order for others to replicate them».

These words do not find Antonia Klugmann enthusiastic: «I believe in the chef-custodian figure», we need to work hard to fill the communication gab between high cuisine and great public, not to produce repetitions of a «personal» module. Salvemini clarifies: «We don’t want to force Bottura to pass from 28 to 280 guests. We want those 28 guests to be sustainable and supportive for the territory», something that happens «because they have great positive consequences».

Finding the ideal balance, therefore, safeguarding the uniqueness of excellence (even in the collaboration with farmers) yet widening the public of high quality users because the sector has to grow stronger. Besides this is the ultimate challenge, Marchi underlines: «Working as a team. And breaking the colonialism of judgements. It would already be important if it were us, not others, who gave marks» to made in Italy restaurants abroad. This will be the next step.