Page 14 - Exploring Taste Magazine N.2

EXPLORING TASTE—SANTA MARGHERITA GRUPPO VINICOLO

n October 2015, the French editor Éditions des Saints Pères place [i.e. the original restaurant founded by his parents] was a very
issued the reprint of three unpublished draft manuscripts of painful decision to make and to which I gave a great deal of thought”.
In search of lost time by Marcel Proust. Specif cally, they relat- Then, when he broadened his horizons and no longer focused only
I ed to the extremely famous episode of the madeleines being on Padua but on the entire Veneto area, his features softened into a
dipped in tea. The interesting element in this text regards the disap- warm smile. “The Veneto region is a magical place,” he began, and if
pearance of the madeleines, which were originally slices of toast with I look at the dozens of pages containing the transcription of this in-
honey, dunked into tea. Rather sadly, the “disappearance” suggests terview, I realize that the part focusing on the Veneto area is the lon-
that Proust had no emotional attachment to madeleines, and that gest, in which Massimiliano speaks incessantly without any pauses
they had not really triggered personal nostalgia which then emerged or further questions. He continued, “It has encountered all possible
to become a literary sensory experience. However, Proust (being con- and imaginable inf uences. It has forgotten them, let them rest and
sidered a cynical, calculating person) did not make that passage, that they are there to be rediscovered.” While speaking about history,
“sensory delight”, that “precious essence” of memory-laden food. Massimiliano also mentioned a topical subject, saying, “I am not
Speaking with Massimiliano Alajmo, chef at Le Calandre, the 3-Mi- one who blindly votes in favor of locally-produced food, I would be
chelin star restaurant in Sarmeola di Rubano, only a stone’s throw insincere, as it is a concept that must be carefully considered.” This
from Padua, it was natural that the topic of memory persistently is the second time in only a few minutes that he mentions consid-
came up in conversation. Massimiliano took the reins of Le Caland- ering things carefully, showing that it is an important part of his
re at the age of nineteen. His family has been immersed in Post-war nature. “Exchanges and relationships def ne a man’s life, and they
gastronomy, from the day his grandfather Vittorio opened a cheese also def ne food. Therefore, today, if we f nd a great inf uence of
stall beneath the Padua Exhibition Center, until the restaurant was spices in Venetian cuisine, it is not because Venetians grow spic-
opened by his parents, Erminio Alajmo and Rita Chimetto, and es. Today is a moment in which boundaries have been broadened
the f rst Michelin star was awarded in 1992. One rainy morning, and exchanges have become very frequent. We have to be extremely
savoring a cof ee while the restaurant was still empty, Massimilia- careful so as not to lose the values of the local area. I consider myself
no smiled when he recalled, “In the kitchen brigade, I was almost to be a territorial person in this respect – in being able to preserve
considered a mascot. I remember dreaming of wearing the chefs’ and safeguard both the local environment and the know-how that
whites, they let me enter the cellars, a vibrant world permeated with must be shared and, at the same time, protected. Otherwise we risk
a blend of f avors and aromas.” f nding, for example, radicchio that has an extraordinary appear-
It was warm and cozy inside Le Calandre, with sunlight caressing ance but that doesn’t comply with agreed culinary canons, in that it
the tables as if they were velvet, making you quickly forget the cold doesn’t have the same crispiness, the same authenticity.”
outside. I consider this place to be a safe haven and I believe that it A few minutes later, that red radicchio from Treviso was served at
is so protected against external intrusions that it reminds me of an our table, together with another local speciality, fried “moeche”,
old library. Massimiliano said that “the decision to stay here in this “soft-shell” crabs from the lagoon in Venice. These are two dish-

“Exchanges and relationships def ne a man’s life, and they also def ne food. Therefore,
today, if we f nd a great influence of spices in Venetian cuisine, it is not because Venetians grow spices.
Today is a moment in which boundaries have been broadened and exchanges have become
very frequent. We have to be extremely careful so as not to lose the values of the local area.”

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