interview
BRUNO BARBIERI
A chef between the
Edited by Claudia Annie Carone
Bruno Barbieri, a prestigious Italian chef with the most Michelin stars, is a judge of MasterChef Italy, the most famous culinary talent show on TV. From the Emilia region, he inherited from his family the love for food and wine. In this special interview with Open Kitchen Magazine, he reveals his passions, secrets, and plans for a life entirely devoted to good food. What is food for you and how did you realise it would become your life? For me, food is the history of life! It always has been. I grew up in a family of farmers where from 5 am until sunset we worked together in the fields, grazing the animals, milking the cows, cleaning the stables, going mushroom hunting, and picking alfalfa. We sat around the table with my grandfather, grandmother, uncles, cousins...everyone eating the homemade tagliatelle and bread baked in a wood oven. This is my story! 28
OpenKitchen - n. 7 October 2012
We lived near the church, and my grandmother kept the secrets of good food, techniques not only for cooking but for growing a vegetable garden too. Seeing the zucchini flowers, basil, and tomatoes show off in the season their majestic colours, going to collect the eggs in the nests, learning that the guinea fowls are the most touchy animals of the court, chasing a rooster for disturbing the hens...these are amazing things! All this happened once, when rural history was still of great value. Making tortellini on Sunday before mass was a must, and stealing the crust of the lasagna just out of the oven was fun for us kids. My grandmother told me the story of her life, perhaps because she had already figured out that the child had talent! Every self-respecting professional is backed by many years of hard work. What were your