“NOT ONLY FOOD BUT COOKING SHOULD BE SUSTAINABLE, TOO. MY DREAM? FINDING THE ESSENCE OF VEGETARIAN CUISINE. MY FAVORITE ITAIAN DISHES? I LOVE TAJARIN AND FOCACCIA”, SAID RENÉ REDZEPI, NUMBER ONE CHEF IN THE WORLD

“Not only food, but also the very act of cooking it must be sustainable. Cooking, for me, is safeguarding the planet. My dream? Finding the essence of vegetarian cuisine”. My favorite Italian dishes? I love tajarin and focaccia”, said René Redzepi, chef of Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, number 1 in the world according to "The World's 50 Best Restaurants", by San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, and organized by the British magazine "Restaurant", at Canale (Alba) where he was the guest of the Roero Regional Enoteca - thirty-six years old, two Michelin stars, four time best chef in the world. The Enoteca, headed by president Luciano Bertello, gave him the annual award for those who deeply love their land. The young Danish chef recalls: “One day, a storm forced us into a hut for three days; that's where I decided to cook rediscovering the ingredients my land has to offer and that is how I came to cook with trees, birch bark, flowers, mosses, lichens”.
Today, four teams are at work getting natural raw materials, the so-called "forage" for René. “I use almost only vegetables and vegetable ingredients. The wealth of flavors and aromas in the plant world is enormous. As a child I always ate little meat, because, in my house, animals were the labor force in agriculture or for milk and eggs. I was left with that legacy. My dream is to cook only vegetables. But my project is a marathon, not a final sprint”. Talking about clients, he said, “I love those who come into a restaurant with an open mind thinking of an adventure, a journey”. The kitchen of the best chef in the world also has space for insects.
“I saw ants used for the first time by Alex Atala”, Redzepi recalls. “I was disgusted, I would not even try. Then on a trip to Latin America I saw they were the main ingredients in many dishes. Ants cost as much as truffles. I decided to try them. I chewed and out came a strong flavor of lemongrass. Today I use a lot of insects but only to flavor food”.
And he also said, “Cricket soup is not a very nice sight for the eyes, but after it ferments for six months it becomes an extraordinary dressing for vegetables. When you taste the dish, you get the same feeling like when you hear good music playing”. The young Danish chef announced that he is working on a project for the future of food with some students at the Culinary School of Pollenzo. The project is called Deliciousness and it’s about eating insects. “The world is growing and will need more protein: insects cannot be ignored. They are a great food”.
René has his ideal - “the best dinner always has a context of sustainability. I find the best flavors in the seeds, natural vegetables in the long term. Flavors are what make life beautiful. There is no happiness without flavors, but we also need to safeguard the planet through cooking”.
Have you ever thought about moving away from Denmark? “I think about it every winter in Copenhagen. But then I also think that my best ideas come during the long winter. And so I don’t move”.
After the award ceremony, the three Michelin star chefs Enrico Crippa, David Palluda and Massimo Camia prepared dinner. Eight starred hands plus a heart - Gemma, a cook in a small inn at Roddino in Langa. The guests included, among others, the journalist Monica Larner of "Wine Advocate", Enzo Vizzari, director of the Guide de "L'Espresso", Fiammetta Fadda, food and wine critic, and the wine producer Angelo Gaja.