Oct. 7 – “My goal is to offer dishes that seduce the palate, but that also engage the olfactory system, offering a truly relaxing break in a comfortable and hospitable environment, accessible from morning till night, open to everyone,” says Massimo Riccioli, a chef who, for 30 year, has worked abroad and who has just returned to Rome after a stay in the UK. The Sicilian cook, an expert in preparing fish-based dishes, opened a restaurant in London called “Massimo,” that combined Italian tradition and British experimentation. And now, after having managed the Italian restaurant in the Corinthia Hotel, a five-star hotel in the heart of the British capital, he is ready to get back in the kitchen at the Majestic Hotel in Via Veneto. He could not help but treasure his London experience: “It was a wonderful experience. London has remained in my heart for its openness, and its great attention to the quality of supply. As for the ‘Massimo’ at the Corinthia Hotel, I like to think that we created for guests a restaurant that encourages friendly conversations, taste and a moment of seduction for the palate.” Riccioli is an unconventional chef who loves contact with customers and that, even at the Majestic, will bring his desire to offer the public a moment of real pleasure; he is an icon of good food and good Italian cuisine, “proud to export Italy’s goods.” “It’s an honor,” says Riccioli as he explains how important the respect for tradition and the excellence of the raw materials is in his kitchen: “These are key elements of my gastronomic proposal. In addition to attention an attention to detail and the preparation process, all prepared by hand, we look at the products’ seasonal availability, as I am convinced that the final dish has to bring conviviality and joy ” Riccioli adds: “In our country, raw material freshness is sufficiently protected but this is not enough. We need to do more to ensure the highest possible standards. Italy’s culinary excellence is one of the reasons why I love working here and it is a shame that this is not recognized and spread abroad. There is no great food without great ingredients, and my colleagues and I put all our passion to transform them into dishes that combine nutritional balance, taste and pleasure of the palate.” The new Majestic Hotel chef also gives advice to those wishing to enter the profession: “For young chefs, I suggest to broaden their experiences. However, I don’t think there are young chefs: you become a chef after years of working in the kitchen, having challenged yourself, having learned from the masters around the world… For the rest, I believe it is essential to love your work and have a nearly obsessive pursuit for the best flavors.” If today Riccioli’s kitchen is synonymous with quality, authenticity, delicacy and sophistication it is also thanks to his experiences abroad, “my passion for cooking was born in the family and I will never thank my parents enough, Romana and Carmelo (founder of La Rosetta in Rome, one of the cornerstones of Italian haute seafood cuisine, ed) who have taught me so much throughout the years. I love to cook anything that brings the mind back to the sea – he admits – as it brings me back to the many Sundays when, with my family, we went to eat raw mussels with lemon to long walks along the pier, waiting for the return of the fishing boats to buy fresh fish. I’m fond of all the wonders that the sea gives us. ” Finally, Riccioli mentions the many popular culinary talent shows on TV: “I don’t really watch cooking demonstrations on TV. I find that they trivialize a complex job, a job in itself spectacular that in TV shows is deprived of its soul of authenticity.”
