QUART ERLY - P.I. 31/07 /2019 - Intern Poste Italiane S.p.a. ationa l € 10, Chf - Spedizione in Abbonamento Postal 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 e - 70% - LO/MI
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I S S U E • n ° 1 7 • 2 0 1 9
PEARL ISSUE - n° 17 - 2019 - € 10
The Art of Sailing
Turquoise 77m Go
[ GOURMAND ]
FILIPPO LA MANTIA
Self Made Chef Traveller and innovator he always draws inspiration from new adventures, in his life and in the kitchen, but in his heart he remains Sicilian
by Marta Bernasconi - ph. Gianmarco Chieregato
H
e is a graduate of the school of life. He was just fifteen years old when he started cooking on board
sail yachts. He soon developed a passion for his work, and that matured into a love that never fails to make his heart beat faster. For Filippo La Mantia, cooking means reliving intense family feelings linked to his Palermo. “When I was a small child I’d go with my grandfather to the Vucciria market, where I learnt to recognise products and flavours that still feature in my pantry, like fennel, oranges, mint and basil”. His links with his native region are still strong, despite the ups and downs of his personal life and the professional adventures that have taken La Mantia, who has also been a photo journalist, around the world. Some places were crucial to his development, especially his move to Rome in 2001, which marked his entry into the restaurant world. In 2002 he opened his Zagara restaurant. But by 2006 he’d already moved elsewhere after accepting the post of consultant for a resort in Java, Indonesia. He returned to Rome and opened La Trattoria in the Pantheon district, and in 2008 he ran the Safina restaurant at the Pevero Golf Club in Porto Cervo. He then returned to Rome, where his restaurant at the Hotel Majestic on via Veneto became a meeting point for stars and VIPs. Remaining faithful to his adventurous spirit, a few years later he once again felt the need for change. This time he moved to Milan, where in 2015 he opened the Filippo La Mantia Oste e Cuoco restaurant. The choice
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Born in Palermo, he has travelled the world and opened several restaurants in Rome. In 2015 Filippo La Mantia chose Milan as the location for his new restaurant, Oste e Cuoco
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[ GOURMAND ]
“The heady perfumes of oranges, wild fennel and basil that filled the air are a theme in my cooking, and form the basis of my raw pestos”
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of name was deliberate – La Mantia doesn’t like being described
indispensable tool. It enabled me to prepare tasty condiments
as a chef, with all the baggage that now involves – seeking
using ingredients that should always be kept on board, like
consensus at all costs, points and stars in the guides and the
capers, tomatoes and anchovies. My raw pestos were invented
celebrity status that means being everywhere but in the kitchen.
on board!” From sail yachts to big ships - La Mantia has also
“Traditionally, preparing dishes using seasonal products was
taught at the captains’ school, teaching cooks how to prepare
the cook’s responsibility. The guests were welcomed by the
tasty dishes on board. “Wellbeing on a yacht depends on good
host, who explained the day’s specials. They are the people who
food”, the chef says. “You must have simple, easy-to-digest and
inspired me in this restaurant”. One of the chef’s iconic recipes
seasonal recipes. The pantry must always be stocked up with
is his pesto d’agrumi, an idea based on a practical need and then
necessities, always tidy and clean. There’s an ethic to life on
perfected. “I started work on a sailing yacht, cooking for twelve-
board a yacht that must be respected”. Sail yachts yesterday, a
person crews with limited food resources. The blender was my
restaurant Milan today. Who knows what tomorrow may bring!