N
iko Romito is known well beyond the borders of his home country Italy. Te chef behind several high-profile restaurants, including the three- Michelin-starred Reale in Castel di Sangro, he also oversees Spazio
restaurants in Rome and Milan and an exciting collaboration with Bulgari Hotels. He was a student of economics and had
harbored ambitions of becoming an architect before he turned to cooking at age 25. “My father passed away and I left my studies to run the family restaurant with my sister Cristiana,” he recalls. “We had some tough moments along the way when I decided to change the cooking philosophy from traditional cuisine to more creative and modern style.” However, alongside his sister, he pursued his path and in the space of seven years achieved the highest accolade awarded by Te Michelin Guide. “I have studied a lot, I have met some great
people, I grew up very quickly and after a few years I felt huge satisfaction,” he says, adding that the memory of receiving his first Michelin star still shines brightly in his memory. It was a moment he describes as an accomplishment and a new start all rolled into one. Gelato has long played a central role in the
cuisine of Romito’s restaurants, and he has invested a lot of time in learning about techniques to achieve the best results. “A great gelato is a matter of taste and texture. I usually work around a single main ingredient to extract the flavors in a
purified and intensified way,” he explains. “I love the versatility of gelato, the fact that
different temperatures determine a different experience on the palate. If added to fruit it enhances the freshness. It can be associated with ingredients of a different structure and temperature, reaching an incredible balance of taste on the palate.” With creativity playing a prominent role in
Romito’s restaurants, the gelato doesn’t stop with the sweet flavors of the dessert menu. Te vegetable menu in his restaurant kicks off with a green pea gelato served with a drop of extra virgin olive oil. “Te deepest essence of the vegetable is straightforwardly preserved, so intense and recognizable,” he says. “Te goal is always to enhance the ingredient,
whatever that is, to express its taste to the maximum. We have worked on significantly reducing sugars and animal fats, and creating water-based gelato thus preserving texture and softness. Te result obtained exceeded my expectations.”
A successful collaboration Te self-taught chef has worked with Carpigiani for some time now, starting when he was looking for a technical partner at his Accademia Niko Romito, a vocational school for professional training accredited by the Region of Abruzzo and in partnership with Slow Food’s University
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Niko Romito (top) is the chef behind several high-profile restaurants and creator of the iconic Bomba Niko Romito (above)
Ali Group's diverse product range made it easy for the kitchen design team to find suitable
Aliworld 47
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