The Seven Sins of Luca Fantin |
Executive Chef, Bulgari Tokyo Il Ristorante Luca Fantin |
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Luca Fantin is the executive chef of Bulgari’s Il Ristorante Luca Fantin in Tokyo. He received his diploma from the I.P.S.S.A.R. hotel school in Treviso.
Before working at the Bulgari Ginza Tower, he was sous-chef at La Pergola in Rome. He has also worked at other prestigious restaurants such as Cracco in Milan, Gualtiero Marchesi’s Hostaria dell’Orso in Rome, Akelarre and Mugaritz in Spain, and RyuGin in Tokyo.
Fantin is currently the only Italian chef in Japan with a Michelin star. In 2015, the Italian culinary guide Identità Golose awarded him the title of “Best Italian Chef in the World.”
When it’s not possible to jet off to Japan, foodies from all over the world are now able to discover his delectable creativities through the beautiful, illustrated volume and its luxury slipcase LA CUCINA DI LUCA FANTIN. the book reads as an exquisite culinary collection, featuring thirty-two of Fantin’s original recipes. Its pages gleam with original photography and detail Fantin’s inspiration for each dish. |
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Wrath - What makes you angry about the hospitality industry?
The lack of commitment, passion and respect for clients that I experienced sometimes in some places. I think that nobody should work in the hospitality sector without being inspired by a true love for people, a passion for travels and a genuine curiosity to meet and welcome different personalities, situations and characters.
Greed - If all your food fantasies came true what would be on your Plate?
I would love to taste zuppa di cipolla (onion soup) and baccalà (dried salt-cured cod) that my grandmother used to prepare for the family.
Sloth - What do you do to unwind?
Listen to music and relax outdoor. Specifically, I love to walk and visit the imperial palace or temples with their beautiful gardens and feel the changes of the season.
Pride - What are you most proud of?
I am proud to say that today the only Italian products I import from Italy are very few: rice, olive oil, cheese and wine. All the other ingredients and products such as meat, fish and vegetables including carrots planted under ice, tiny tomatoes cultivated without watering, all these products are sourced locally in Japan to secure that only excellently fresh ingredients are served at my table.
Lust - Is there anything that you are still lusting to achieve?
I would like to help young people understand what it really means to become a chef. Today being a chef seems such a glamorous job if you are judging it by what you see on the media. However to reach that level of fame you have to work hard. It is a long, arduous process that takes years of studying and hard work. To make it as a chef, you need to be irrationally in love with cooking. Cooking should be your main passion. A sort of passport to explore and discover the world through the kitchen. To conclude, becoming a chef takes true commitment and total dedication. This is what I would really like next chef’s generation understand.
Envy - who are you most envious of?
I am not an invidious person; I rather admire and try to get inspiration by people who manage to sacrifice themselves for the others. Chef Massimo Bottura for example has developed the prestigious project called “Refettorio” to support the people in need and to reduce food waste in Italy and Brazil. In my opinion to support disadvantaged people and children and give them back hope and dream is one of the most rewarding things in life.
Gluttony - have you ever over indulged?
I immersed myself exaggeratedly in maniac and detailed research of finding the perfect ingredients at the perfect moment. Once I traveled for about seven hours from Tokyo to visit the farm where producers cultivate carrots under the snow together with a journalist. He said that I was crazy to spend so many hours just to find carrots…, however, after tasting these exclusive mellifluous carrots, he changed his mind and so did I. It was really worth traveling that far.
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We put the spotlight on the industry's most recognisable faces in our new interview segment "Seven Sins". If you want to know what inspires the industry's movers and shakers or what your favourite food loving celebrity likes to indulge in then you'll find it in their Seven Sins. |
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