3 minute read
Gourmand: Davide Caranchini
DAVIDE CARANCHINI
A combination of experimentation and provocation – his mission is a research into taste. A portrait of a Michelin-starred chef with deep roots in his region but an unsentimental approach and a highly personal vision
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by Marta Bernasconi
Ayoung prodigy of Italian cuisine, Davide Caranchini won his first Michelin star before turning thirty. Born in Como, his cooking takes account of his origins and local traditions, combining them with experimentation and provocation to create new alchemies of taste. His stints in other restaurants with some of the world’s most famous chefs have helped shape his vision. “I attended the Hotel Institute in Como, and when I left I worked in a series of restaurants. They were all different, and I learnt something new from all the great chefs I worked under. My first experience in a famous restaurant was at Le Gavroche in London, which was a school for order and discipline. It also taught me the basics of classic cookery. I was introduced to
the world of patisserie at Heinz Beck in London, then I went to work at Noma in Copenhagen. This was a decisive move, as it challenged my preconceptions and opened up a clear vision of what I wanted to do. What we do here on the lake is closely related to the region itself, and the roots we draw inspiration from and the ingredients and methods that were familiar to our grandparents are similar to those used in the Nordic cuisine, and working at Noma made me realise they could be handled in a new way”. The world of vegetables and its potential lie at the basis of Caranchini’s cooking at his Materia restaurant in Cernobbio. Every dish begins with the selection of the finest ingredients, which are then transformed by the chef’s innovative
Davide Caranchini, born 1990, now a one Michelin-star chef. Left, his red cabbage salad with smoked bone marrow, bitter almond milk and caviar, a daring combination of select and down-to-earth materials
Essential and with a Nordic feel, his Materia restaurant in Cernobbio. The chef has worked at Le Gavroche and Heinz Beck in London and at the Noma in Copenaghen. Left, the pigeon in two stages with juniper and elderberries
creativity. “As is true for all creative work, the inspiration that drives me to innovate comes from everyday life, but it’s all underpinned by a search for the finest ingredients, the knowledge possessed by local producers and a respect for the rhythm of the seasons. These all form the basis for my search for the new”. The chef loves daring combinations, initiating dialogues between sharp and bitter and combining select and down-to-earth materials. His ideas are reflected, for example, in his red cabbage salad with smoked bone marrow, bitter almond milk and caviar, the only dish that Caranchini has kept on his menu throughout all his various sojourns. He also has very clear ideas about table settings and presentation. “My staff and I are very minimalist from that point of view. We leave little room for frills that we regard as superfluous. The name Materia doesn’t refer to the raw materials but the idea of substance, the concrete nature of things. Everything in the dish must have a meaning”. Less is more, in fact. And our palates thank him for it!
