DARIO CECCHINI

DUBAI PEOPLE

@DARIOCECCHINIMACELLAIO

MY PHILOSOPHY IS BASED ON RESPECT FOR ANIMALS - MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAD A GOOD LIFE, SPACE TO MOVE AROUND, GOOD FOOD AND AN HONEST DEATH

THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY

text Virginia Mammoli

You went from being a vet student to being a butcher in order to carry a 250-year-old family tradition.

Yes I did, and it may seem contradictory, perhaps even absurd. But what spurred me to study veterinary medicine was to be able to embrace the country’s culture and traditions and be helpful to the world I was raised in. Added to this fact, is my philosophy that is based on respect for animals - to allow them to roam freely and provide them good food in their lifetime and upon their death, use every part of their body in cooking, from nose to tail.

What is it like to be the world’s most famous butcher, as the New York Times described you?

What is important to me is to be the butcher of Panzano in Chianti, my small community that I love so deeply.

How did you come up with the idea of Carna?

The American SLS Brand was looking for something new as vors and cuts. A more sustainable concept, going beyond beef me, dishes such as heart kebab and our assortment of boiled meat. I’m a butcher who cooks, I don’t need to wow customers with special effects, but just cook meat in the simplest way possible.

Bringing this kind of dishes to a luxury hotel in Dubai was quite challenging. How are things going?

Very well. The restaurant has already been awarded some recognitions, such as FACT ME in the Favourite Newcomer Commended Steakhouse.

You are also known for being a butcher-poet and you’ve recently become a writer. What other poets or writers, besides Dante, are you fond of?

Mario Spezi, a Florentine friend of mine and a crime news reporter. Instead, Alessandro Rossi and I enjoy writing crime stories set in Panzano.

Any new plans for the future?

A new restaurant with the Moretti family, the producers of Bellavista sparkling beverage, and a moustache club that I would like to open at my friend Paolo’s barber’s shop in Panzano.