Martin Stacchini

Chef: Martin Stacchini

Q&A

Who Are You?

Hi, I’m Martin Stacchini, I’m 35 and I was born in Cesena(Italy).

I’m doing this job since 11 years now, and since 10 I’m working outside Italy. IG: @Martin_il_Pupo

Your Journey

I started in Italy near where I was living for half year, than I started traveling; first I went in Dubai for an year, after I moved in London for 3 and half years, then 1 and half year in Vienna, then 2 years in Bucharest, and now since 2 years I’m leaving in Belgium.

Belgium will be my last adventure probably because last month I bought a house with my wife so I believe we will not move for a bit…

Art as a Reflection of Life

When I was young I did a technical institute and after mechanical engineer which I left few exams before the end; I had to find somethings else to do and I took the “kitchen way”.

Inside me I kept the engineer mentality, reason why, I will consider myself 90% chef and only 10% creative(NOT AN ARTIST), because I’m used to be very strict and realistic. 

The fact is that most of the people are using the word “artist” in the wrong way in my opinion.

An artist in anyone is doing art, and what “art” mean?

Art is any action or object made from someone to show and express himself to the others!! Everything is art, but every piece of art must find the right eyes that are looking and recognising that!!

The problem starts now; who is writing a song we are calling him a singer, who is pulling up an amazing building we are calling him architect, who is doing a beautiful paint is a painter, who is doing a tasteful dish is a chef…so when we are using the word “artist”? we are using the word “artist” most of the time to describe someone who is thinking “outside of the box”, someone that has is own mentality, sometimes so different from the rest of the people that is look almost an anarchist…someone that doesn’t matter what other people are saying or thinking about him, he will continue for is way!

Beside “art” what other word have in common a singer, an architect, a painter, a chef?? “Business!” 

Yes all of them are doing their own art to be sold later on. 

For this reason my definition of artist is completely in contrast with business!!

Let’s take the example of ho.re.ca environment; the goal of a restaurant is making business, and this his coming when you are making always the restaurant full and people appreciate what you propose and also your offer must have consistency(in the years) on the standard you give.

The Chef is spending a lot of time creating 10 dishes. This dishes are following his soul, is mentality, what is based in his roots…but unfortunately 5 out of 10 dishes due the type of clients that are eating in his restaurant will not been appreciate. Then what his going to do? He will put on the menu only the other 5.

Is he an artist?? No, absolutely no, is a “creative chef”!! Is a Chef that made a compromise between showing himself and his art, but always with one eye on the business.

An artist can be a chef that is doing a tv show like masterchef, of even more important competition(including the most famous Bocuse d’Or); in that case the chef can be free to fully show himself without take in consideration consistency, profit, etc but this is a “once in a while show off”, is not the real life!!

In real life, a Chef must coexist hic creativity touch, with the food cost, with the comfort for all his team to reply that dishes, with the taste of his client that will pay for that dishes.

Let’s start saying that nobody is inventing something new from zero. What everybody are doing is to create something new starting from an old base.

Big part of the new generation is growing with this tv show where they are showing more particular techniques, and this new chefs wants to achieve that result without learning the base.

You can not know where you are going if you don’t know where you are coming from. Is really important to know the culture and tradition of a place(and of a people) that is behind that dish; only like this you have the power to own the capacity to modify the dish without make it lose the essence of it.

When I’m looking for inspiration for my dishes very less time I’m reading book and recipe from other chefs; most of the time is when I’m traveling, I like to discovery ingredients that I know already(of course also to discovery a new one) but combine in a different way.

I’m Italian and I always cooked Italian and French cuisine; I will never one day start to cook Japanese(for example) but I can make an Italian twist using one Japanese product for example, but without destroy the soul of the original recipe and also without lose my identity(Italian). 

Time to Time are appearing new trends, but they are always ending after few years; I think that to base a business on a trend is possible only if you are a big brands that have the back economically covered and have the power to ride the wave of the trend and constantly change with that. Or if you are the pioneer of that specific trend in that case you can have an advantage.

Otherwise for a long term business the best thing for me is to have your own idea and concept and stick with that always, of course time to time adapt yourself a bit but without loosing your identity.

What I really like, and I have the impression that in the last period are starting to come out more and more, are restaurant(or place/shop) specialized only in one things! Who is doing only meat, who only burger, or only pasta, only fish, only pizza, etc…

I like this new concept where is not mandatory to have a very long menu with all the items!! Work with less items, less products but always fresh and specialized in one things can bring that specific dishes to a next level. If on one side in that way you will lose a part of the business(if you are a meat restaurant who want to eat fish will not come) on the other side you have the chance to improve that specific items and attract all the people that they want to try your dishes…

For the Readers…

Food is not only what you are eating, but is what you experiencing during the meal; people of course want to eat nice dish, but they want nice ambience around, a nice story behind a dish or an ingredient, only like this you can create memories that people will remember forever.

Now after I lived and worked in six different country and made all kind of experience from 1-2 and 3 Michelin star, to a normal restaurant, to brasserie and bistro I finally choice Belgium as a final destination of my adventure.

Here in Belgium is very common(things that I didn’t see in the other country), to have a small restaurant/activity on the ground floor of your house.

The building is only one and is not divide in two different property; part you are using as a private for leaving, and part for the activity. Of course the activity is built following the law, from the kitchen, to the toilet for the guest, to the accessibility of the guest(also for pushchair, etc).

This I think I the best compromise for me that want to open is own place, but in the same time trying to give enough space and time to a family(with my wife we are planning to have a child).

This reality in Belgium is quite common and is always own by a couple; my wife(she is from Germany) also has ho.re.ca experience working as a floor manager and bar manager for big groups(Hilton, Relais&Chateu, etc).

For this reason one month ago we bought a house here on the border with France(close to Lille) where was present a chocolate shop/production and we are planning in a couple of year to renovate and opening as a small Italian restaurant.

Our goal is to have a small place around 30 covers, that is possible to manage only the two of us at least in the beginning; 

Make a little menu where the items are changing time to time following the season and also my creativity; and one things that I really want is to divide the menu in two parts:

-on one side offering few really classic Italian dishes that everybody know(for the business part);

-the other part of the menu is with my creation, or also with some Italian dishes from the tradition nor really famous and push the people, with little stories, to try this dishes and discover a new part of Italy that is not been explore yet.

I want to show to the people that Italy is not only “antipasti misti”, “bruschetta” e “carbonara”…I want people to discover a nice pasta alla norma, tortelli Mantovani, agnolotti, passatelli, a nice tripe, or coda alla vaccinara, o lingue bollita…

Italy is full of nice dishes from all around the country, each region has a particular ingredients and cooking style due the tradition, and is important to teach the people about this, bring people to know this difference and make them understand better the Italian cusine.

Foie Gras

Monk Fish

Beet Roots