Chef Paolo Barrale

Elegance is the rule of Paolo Barrale, a leading exponent of the “Beck generation”, who continues to shuttle between different shores of the Mediterranean. First the native Sicily, with the mother who baptized him in her fresh pasta shop, the hotel and the first seasons at the hotel. Then the urgency to raise the bar and that curriculum sent to Heinz Beck, from which he will stay for four years, at school of taste and perfection; the experiences at Fabio Baldassarre’s Other Mastai, by Gennaro Esposito, Mauro Colagreco and Pietro d’Agostino.

Finally the long season at the Marennà in Borgo Serpico, restaurant of the Feudi di San Gregorio where he won the star, making himself known and noticed. In the process of setting sail for a new solo adventure, he will stop in Taormina. “I feel like a cook from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. This year the Med Cooking starts from Campania to arrive in Sicily: natural for me to participate, with the pleasure of sharing what is happening in this sea. The emergency is under everyone’s eyes: we need to act quickly, with a concept of resilience. Some products are disappearing and the seas in general are less and less full of fish. A challenge that is largely cultural, requiring a change of habits: using a spatula or amberjack from the bottom instead of tuna and sea bass, rediscovering morons, star fish and dolphin fish, which we are not yet quite tied to”.

Alessandra Meldolesi