The mission of italiani.it is to promote Italy and its traditions. We are in the Christmas period and we interviewed the chef Roberto Gentile, from Palermo, whose career, despite his young age, is studded with international experiences that give prestige to our Italian culinary tradition.
Roberto, when did you realize you wanted to become a chef?
I began to get passionate about the world of cooking when I was very young, I was only 11 when I first approached the kitchen at home. It all started from the great passion that my father has for cooking, it is something that he passed on and passed on to me. At the age of 14, I was looking forward to the moment when I would be able to enter a professional kitchen for the first time. At that age I already knew that I wanted to be a cook but I really realized that it would have been my life a few years ago, when starting to work I really understood how much I loved this profession.
You are Sicilian, have your land and its wonderful culinary tradition influenced your way of cooking?
Sicily has always been part of me. When you grow up in a land where food plays such an important role, you can't help but fall in love with it. The flavors, aromas and sounds of food in Sicily are everything. When I talk about the sounds of food I mean those of the markets that light up in the morning in Palermo, for example, where I was born. I know the Sicilian culinary tradition well because it has always fascinated me, especially its strong link with North African countries. I was also lucky enough to work in the kitchens of some of the best Sicilian chefs ever, and this helped me to learn about ancient ingredients and recipes and often transform them in a modern way. Without the warmth of Sicilian food I would definitely not be the person I am now.
What is the ingredient you use the most in your recipes?
The ingredient that I use most in the kitchen is undoubtedly theolive oil. As well as ingredients such as garlic and onion are part of my way of cooking. These are the basic ingredients, together with carrots and celery to make excellent sautées, which are the foundations of the great dishes of Italian cuisine. One of my favorite ingredients to use is saffron instead. And of course aromatic herbs in general, including most of all mint, basil and bay leaf. Of course, depending on the dish I prepare. For me, these are the fundamental ingredients to give heart and energy to a dish.
What do you think of zero kilometer cuisine?
I believe that nowadays it is increasingly important to give space to local products and to the golden people who every day take care of what we chefs are lucky enough to cook and bring to the table. Because of this I love to value small producers and quality raw materials. At the same time, we must be able to recognize that the world is full of excellent products and ingredients to cook. Each country has its own. This is why I also believe in the importance of knowing products from Asia or South America, for example. It is essential to respect what we have at one step, but without forgetting everything around us.
What qualities have you refined over the years in your work experiences?
In recent years I have grown a lot professionally and personally. My experiences have taught me first to listen to older and more experienced colleagues. Humility is essential in the kitchen, and we must never forget that ours is an altruistic work that is born to make others feel good, before ourselves. At the same time, there is nothing better than receiving a compliment from someone who has tasted one of your dishes. In addition to having learned to listen, I have learned to have more self-confidence and confidence with work. Of course then I learned a lot on a technical and practical level. From traditional recipes to the most innovative ones. From the most classic cooking techniques to the most surprising ones. I cooked and tasted from the most common to the rarest and most expensive ingredients. In my experiences abroad, on the other hand, I have learned to shape my character and make myself stronger in a sector where there is a lot of need.
During the lockdown you worked a lot with leavened products. Would you like to specialize in this?
I had time and opportunity to cultivate the passion for leavened products with all my energy during the period of the first Lockdown. Today is perhaps the greatest passion I have. It surprises me every time to look at mine our piadina grow, or watch a bread swell inside the oven as it cooks. What I love about baking is the charm of the unpredictability of a dough. Tiny errors and small details in processing and temperatures can make the difference, especially in the world of large leavened products such as panettone, which I am dealing with during this Christmas period. Making a good panettone requires attention, perseverance and knowledge. And above all time and energy. It starts early in the morning and ends late in the evening, an artisan panettone requires a lot of care and attention, but the final result pays off all the efforts and sacrifices.
Who is your favorite chef and why?
I cannot say that I have only one favorite chef, because there are many who have influenced my path and motivated me to take this path, some of whom I have also had the good fortune to work with. Among them I can certainly name the Sicilians Nino Graziano and Ciccio Sultano, among the Italians I prefer I can certainly name the Massimo Bottura, a point of reference for me since I was still almost a child, and then Marcello and Mattia Spadone (father and son) and mother Bruna. In their restaurant I took my first steps and there are so many things they have taught me about this job. As for the international Chefs, among my favorites are the Roca brothers from the restaurant “Celler de Can Roca”, Ferran Adria from “El Bulli” and Renè Redzepi from “Noma” in Copenhagen.
What are your plans for the future?
In the immediate future, the prospect is to continue working, learning and perfecting myself as a cook. There are still many experiences that I want to do to improve my knowledge and my professional level. Next year I will leave for France where I will have the opportunity to work in one of the best restaurants in the world. As for the future a little further away, my biggest dream certainly remains that of being able to open my own restaurant, possibly in a beautiful place by the sea, where I can continue to do what I am most passionate about and offer my cuisine to those who will want to try it.