Daniele Patti

You were born in Sicily, but ,when you were a kid, you came to Le Marche region with your family, can we say that you are a Young chef coming from Le Marche region?Can you tell us about your professional experience from when you were a young chef through your experience at the starred chef Uliassi till your current position at Lo Scudiero Restaurant in Pesaro(PU)

Yes I was born in Sicily and when I was 12 we moved home to Pesaro. Then I attended the Santa Marta hotel school in Pesaro and I fell in love with cuisine and the transformation of row material .After some local experiences, I managed to make  a stage at Master Gualtiero Marchesi restaurant .This was a focal step, a new world was opening to me about cuisine, new modern perspectives came to me together with the traditional cuisine I was used to.When I came back to Pesaro I made some other local experiences about catering and restaurant, but  I felt that I lacked knowledge and experience.
I was drawn to Spanish experience of chef Andria and that’s the reason why I tried to make an experience at Chef Uliassi restaurant, a master with knowledge, passion and technicality and also  less rigid, even more extreme, more free.
Following the 16 of December 2012 I opened the Scudiero restaurant in Pesaro , the oldest starred in Le Marche region, a location I ‘ve always had in my hearth.After the Ridolfi family finished experience, this restaurant was there, waiting for me…
Today I manage Lo Scudiero in Pesaro with 8 chef, 4 waiters and my wife Dunia. I am very happy about what we have done, today we have 3 forks from L’ espresso, 2 forks from Gambero Rosso and we are associated at GRE (European young chef).If everything is going on like that, working hard, studying a lot, with passion and a strong team, we are candidare to the Michelin star .

How do you manage to include the characteristics of both these  cuisines: the one from Sicily and the other from Le Marche?What combine them? Your recipe “Red Shrimp that goes up Etna Vulcan” is, perhaps, the right combination between the 2 region you have inside you? Or, your recipes with “Sea urchins spaghetti, with burrata cheese and garlic powder “, or again, “Grilled cuttlefish, with sautéed herbs, and sea urchins granita and almonds”,  are two recipes that tell the story about Le Marche region and Sicily together, is that true?

Yes, it is true, I have inside myself  both of these regions, that’s the reason why I offer  two different experience in my menu: the first is called “Adriatic Sea”and the second one “Come with me to Sicily”. They are very tied to the Earth and to the Sea. The Sea with its moscioli (a kind of mussel) meets itself with game, the same that the Duke from Montefeltro was used to hunt  in this area called Montefeltro.The second menu called “Come with me to Sicily” wants to explore  memories and products from Sicily from the sensorial perspective.This region gives us its citrus fruits, almonds, basil, fennel and saffron in a riot of perfumes and baroc  taste and color like the Caltagirone pottery. At the  end  a steaming dish like the “plume “of Etna Volcan to close the circle.

In a previous interview you pointed out what you have learnt from your Master: Gualtiero Marchesi at Albereta restaurant in Erbusco and Uliassi the starred chef in Senigallia. Can you tell us what, these two reference points in Italian Cuisine, gave to you?

The first one, Master Marchesi taught me order, tecnic and study.  On the other side Master Uliassi, transferred to me the research, contemporaneity and  the brand new approach to creativity and experimentation.

Identità Golose, the annual chef meeting in Milan, told about you that you are: curious, determinated and enthusiastic chef.
Do you agree about this definition ?

I always trust on studying, devoting on it, knowing territories and their related stories .Cuisine is an ideal following of geography, customs and habits of territories. The chef adds modernity with olfactory, visual and consistency techniques and research .Just to give you an example , the classic recipe called Sea and Mountain was born from Antonello da Messina, who, at that time, needed to feed his troops. His cooks had a shortage of fish, so from this time on, it was born the idea of adding some earth products to the sea ones.

In your menu there is a recipe with black truffle called: button of potatoes, burrata cheese, fois gras and hazelnuts. All these ingredients perfectly match with the king of the cuisine, the truffle.Fatty ingredients are absolutely complementary to truffle.
Tell us which was the creative approach of this recipe?

Black and white truffles are products from the Le Marche territory. That’s the reason why I ‘ve always  used  and re interpreted them.What you are talking about is  an historic  and iconic recipe I have been offering on my menu for many years.It wants to offer an experience to whom tastes it. Today, who comes to Lo Scudiero restaurant does not need to be fed, he wants to live an experience, a visual and olfactory one, about taste and perfumes.
It is  like being invited to a theatre to attend a musical, with a lot of protagonists. In a very simple but tidy way, following a natural sequence even if already decided, these protagonists first attend at the show, then become actors themselves on  the stage, in a nice location watching the most tasteful show in the world.

Could you be interested on tasting a fine creme with white truffle? It is very appreciated by  food critics and by some of starred colleagues of you.

Of course, why not. I love experimentation and studying  in deep. I will take advantage of Acqualagna truffle fair to make a selection of products.

You always speak plural when you talk about yourself, your restaurant and your team. It’s easy to understand  that the team work is first on your list, is that  true?

Yes, I must say that other people told me the same. Actually, my team is fundamental for the final result.
When I was a boy, I lived some difficult situation, I felt not enhanced Perhaps, this is the reason why, on the contrary, I congratulate my team , when they deserve it.
The average time of stay at Lo scudiero is approximately 5 years, in a restaurant it is a long time.It  means that staying with me is important for the team, even if it is difficult.
Experimentation and tecnical knowledge they learn are very heavy and difficult, you need to be patient, and that is not easy to make young passionate people understood.
Passion must always be guided by constancy and studying.