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Go JRE-Inside+Interview with Aurora Mazzucchelli
Aurora Mazzucchelli is chef and owner at restaurant Marconi. This talented chef has been running the kitchen at her family’s restaurant since 2000, together with her brother, maître and sommelier Massimo Mazzucchelli. After transforming the menu and décor, the siblings started receiving various awards and honours. In 2008, they received their first Michelin award for their delicious Italian cuisine. We asked chef Aurora some questions to get to know her better, about her culinary inspiration, her favourite ingredients, and much more.
Aurora, how would you describe your cooking style?
I would describe my cooking style as contemporary. It enhances the world of pure products that themselves become ingredients of the dish.
What is your favourite dish to make?
Cooking parmesan tortelli and fresh pasta in general is my favorite because they embody the excellence and traditions of Emilia Romagna. Moreover, fresh pasta unites many generations, and today it is both a tradition as well as an innovation. I also like to cook more contemporary dishes like those proposed in my restaurant: a dish that I really love is “Cuttlefish and Ragusano, tomato and oregano” because it combines my Sicilian origins with the world of leavened products.
What is your favourite ingredient to work with?
Flour! Because it is a very versatile ingredient. During recent years it has fascinated me and it is very much present in my kitchen.
Pizza! For me this is a mental indulgence.
Marconi
Who is one of your top suppliers or producers?
A small farm called "Balla con gli Asini" brings me excellent Verna wheat flour, spelled flour and seasonal vegetables. And the pride of my region is a balsamic vinegar producer: Il Borgo del Balsamic vinegar in Reggio Emilia.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your culinary career?
The evolution we are facing right now, to combine the chef's experience and cuisine with the world of leavened products, in Casa Mazzucchelli.
Which gastronomic trend are you excited about the most?
Surely the study of vegetables within the world of gastronomy.
If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would that be?
Pizza! For me this is a mental indulgence.
What's one thing in the area that guests have to see or do?
I would recommend visitors to check out San Luca with the UNESCO World Heritage porticoes in Bologna, and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines that surround Sasso Marconi. The area is also known for its producers of Pignoletto wine, chestnuts, sausages, and mortadella. There are routes you can do on horseback or by bicycle. It is a magical territory to be discovered.
Thank you, Aurora.
Book your table at restaurant Marconi
Try chef Aurora Mazzucchelli’s creative Italian cuisine for yourself at restaurant Marconi in Modena, Italy. You can make your lunch or dinner reservation through our website, for an unforgettable event.