Dinner with four hands at “The Gardens of Villa Fago”
On Tuesday, April 5, starting at 8:30 p.m., five excellences of Sicilian cuisine will meet at “I Giardini di Villa Fago,” a fantastic location in Santa Venerina (CT), for an event not to be missed.
“Dinner at 4 Hands” is an evening of friendship and positive atmosphere, but most importantly of all of refined flavors that can take those present on a sensory journey into local traditions.
Doing the honors will be Gianluca Lizzio, executive chef of i Giardini di Villa Fago, with Chefs with Coppola in full lineup: Simone Strano, Giuseppe Raciti, Giovanni Grasso and Peppe Torrisi.
“Every once in a while getting together in the kitchen as a real brigade is nice,” says Giuseppe Raciti, who this year saw Zash’s Michelin star reconfirmed for 2022, “of course with Simone, Peppe and Giovanni we continue to work hand-in-hand in our cooking school, but getting together with Gianluca as well is a bit like going back in time.
“We grew up together between school desks, at the hotel school, and we never lost touch again,” echoes Simone Strano, now at the helm of the i Faraglioni restaurant in Acitrezza, “I confess that when Gianluca proposed that we do this evening together, we immediately said yes.
“Sharing the ‘kitchen’ and thinking of a menu that could tell our individual peculiarities-echoes Giovanni Grasso, who with his course the art of sushi has managed to redefine its true essence-is quite a challenge especially when waiting for us at the tables will be the harshest critics, the people who will come to dine.”
The menu is designed to surprise palates while making them feel “at home.” Specifically, it will begin with an entrée by the host, and then delve into the portions designed and created by the Chefs with Coppola, in a unique journey where the dishes are perfectly linked to each other.
“It’s kind of like when you have a dinner party with friends and everyone brings something. That’s the spirit. To find ourselves among the stoves as we did so many years ago when we first started,” adds Peppe Torrisi, executive chef of Cortile Spirito Santo in Ortigia, this year mentioned by the Michelin guide as a recommended stop, “and to do it with the same spirit as then is perhaps the most exciting part of our work.
Also participating in the evening will be a very young “volcanic” company, Volcano Gin, also born out of the affection that has long united its three founders, Diego Pollicina, Alessandro Malfitana and Stefano Lo Giudice.
“Our Volcano Gin is a product inextricably linked to the territory, it tells its every essence, like the dishes proposed by the chefs that tell of a Sicily rich in flavors. Being able to be an integral part of this evening as well,” says Alessandro Malfitana, “and to be able to do so by putting a little of our own into their creations is an opportunity for growth, comparison and also a bit of a source of pride for us. We have agreed on a dish where the ingredient will be our gin, but we do not want to reveal anything. Let’s just say that the evening promises to be full of surprises.”
“The great thing about this job is always being able to surprise and surprise us,” concludes Gianluca Lizzio creator of the evening and home chef, “the excitement is there as it should be, because no matter how good you may be in the kitchen you have to face each challenge as if it were the first time. The idea was born to give a unique moment to all food lovers, but perhaps, it was a gift we wanted to give to ourselves, to always remind ourselves that certain friendships never end, and that if you are a team you always rejoice in the successes of others, without envy and hypocrisy.”
In short, a truly unique evening, bringing together confirmations of the culinary scene with rising stars. A mix of taste, quality, but also an example of respect and friendship as key ingredients of any recipe, not only in the kitchen!
Menu here: https://bit.ly/Cena4Mani_VillaFago
Info and reservations: 0957000475
Mandatory Super Green Pass
From left: Raciti, Strano, Lizzio