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Go JRE-Inside+Interview with Silvio Battistoni
Silvio Battistoni is owner and chef at restaurant Albergo Colonne. As a child, Silvio already helped his father Franco in the kitchen of their family restaurant "Il Ghiottone" in Nebbiuno. After he finished his culinary education at the prestigious hotel school of Stresa, Silvio worked in restaurants all across Europe. He joined the kitchens at Hotel de Paris in Montecarlo, the Moulin de Mougins Hotel on the French Riviera, with Roger Vergé, Hotel Negresco da Maximin, and several places in Switzerland. He now demonstrates his distinctive culinary style at restaurant Albergo Colonne. We asked Silvio some questions about working in hospitality, his favourite cuisine, and much more.
Silvio, can you tell us a little bit about your background?
My curriculum includes culinary internships with the best chefs in France at the time, like Alain Ducasse, Roger Verger and Maximin. I live a life that is fully dedicated to cooking.
What do you love most about working in hospitality?
My mission every day when I open my business is to welcome customers as if they were guests in my own home and as if they are my friends. The goal is to make them leave with a big smile, happy and wanting to come back to me.
What has been the biggest change in the gastronomic industry since you started your career?
In 30 years, many things have changed in the industry. It has become more advanced, with better controlled cooking techniques. There is even more respect for raw materials and ingredients, resulting in a lighter cuisine.
I live a life that is fully dedicated to cooking.
Albergo Colonne
Which cuisine is your favourite and why?
My favourite cuisine is instinctual, spontaneous. I enjoy cooking what I find at the market of seasonal fruit or the catch of the day. To me, there is no real type of cuisine other than using the best ingredients available on the market.
What is your favourite dish on your restaurant’s menu?
Often guests ask me to propose my best dish. I always answer that it is impossible, as every dish that I create, that I study, to me is the best. By giving a classification to it I would take away the magic of the creation that I intended for my guests.
If a guest is feeling adventurous, which dish will definitely tickle their fancy?
If a client is adventurous, then I propose to choose maybe a new dish, one thatI have just added to the menu and that perhaps no one has yet tasted. In some way to act as "guinea pig" but obviously in a mouth-watering manner.
Which dessert would you recommend for diners with a sweet tooth?
I have desserts that are not very sweet, delicious desserts designed as if they were for children, and light desserts for those who don't want very heavy desserts. In short, I try to understand what my guests prefer and I recommend that to them.
What’s one thing in the area that your guests absolutely need to see or do?
Since our small village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are many things to visit. For example the museum, the 16th-century church, the route of the sacred chapels, and the astronomical observatory. In short, there’s a lot to explore here for visitors.
Thank you, Silvio.
Book your table at restaurant Albergo Colonne
Experience the modern Italian cuisine of Silvio Battistoni. Simply book your lunch or dinner at restaurant Albergo Colonne in Varese, Italy, here with us – it’s quick and easy.