This year Madrid Fusión International Conference will bestow its most prestigious award on the Italian chef
Like every year, the Madrid Fusión International Conference is about to gather in the Spanish Capital the best chef from all over the world. The 18th edition of the event will take place from January 13th to January 15th at IFEMA-Feria de Madrid. Among the many appointments, a very important one is scheduled for the afternoon of January 14th, Niko Romito will receive the “Chef of the Year Award”.
It is one of the most prestigious recognitions presented during Madrid Fusión. And in 2020, the organization awarded it to the owner of the Reale Casadonna in Castel di Sangro (L’Aquila).
Romito studied to be an architect, but his interest in his family’s restaurant eventually led to him becoming one of the best chefs in Italy and the world.
His restaurant is currently recognized as one of the 100 best restaurants in the world. And it obtained the highest score, 96 out of 100, among the 35 Three Forks restaurants listed in Gambero Rosso’s ‘Ristoranti d’Italia.
With three Michelin stars, obtained in just seven years, Romito is known as the king of the essentials. He creates pure and unadulterated dishes in which the basics and balance of flavors are key. A great example of this is his flagship recipe ‘Onion reduction with Parmigiano buttons and toasted saffron’. A first course of fresh egg pasta stuffed with a Parmesan cream served with an onion reduction in place of broth. This recipe is always on the menu, even if with constant minor adjustments that do not distort the original recipe. Also, the onion reduction marks the beginning of the chef’s work on extraction, which has proved to be essential in his gastronomic growth.
Ilona Catani Scarlett
Cover ph: Francesco Fioramonti, from the official website