Feature Chef - Luca Lacalamita
Luca Lacalamita, Pastry Chef, Osteria Francescana, Modena Italy
Starting in a local pastry shop at the age of 16, Luca then took his passion to Great Britian to start his tours of the best restaurants in the world. PLease join us as he graciously answers our questions about his life in pastry.
Can you tell us a bit about your background? How did you get started in your work as a Pastry Chef?
I actually started in culinary school and in the meantime i was working in a restaurant in my hometown Trani, which is a nice small city in the south of Italy in the Apulia region,as a regular commis. So I started practicing as a cook, and when I got to age 16, I started working with a friend in his own pastry workshop, so I was practicing pastry and….. I liked it a lot!
The things where simple now that I’m thinking about them, but at that time were so hard! There where classics and like 30 different kind of small pastries, it’s been my first approach to pastry and I will always say thanks to my friend. Then I finished my studies,and I went to London at 18 years old, I worked at the Dorchester Hotel and in Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus Restaurant. These were both great experiences that started to ampliate my pastry background, then back in Milan at Cracco and another good experience as a Head Pastry Chef.
After that I went to El Bulli, that actually gave me the big inspiration about the way of creating ,and after it in Modena at Osteria Francescana as Head Pastry Chef….
Tell us a little about your current position. What type of menu, how many menu items, etc.
My menu is always structured with 7 dessert that involves fruit, vegs, chocolate and 2 unusual desserts which are always changing every month as my inspiration, and also we recommend a small tasting “dessert non dessert menu” — 5 small plates that starts from a savory and sweet to end up with the real dessert.
I started this kind of modern and progressive way of structuring the menu because the dessert has to be a gradual experience, not just 1 single dish , and obviously the customer enjoy more this kind of formula.
How do you find the times at the various restaurants you have worked in influenced your own desserts?
Well i had so many influences , like the terroir and the way of thinkin of each chef where I worked and obviously the technique , but I’m sure the only one is to choose the great and the best product on the market otherwise the result will not be the same , in every case , for that i really thank Ramsay for teaching me that.
How do you come up with your flavor combinations? Some are inspired by nature, some by architecture … I myself am usually inspired most by the first bite of something new. Right away flavor combinations will flood my head… What are your favorite flavor combinations?
Absolutely from nature and architecture for the final plating, I started to make these reconstructions of gardens and fields just because i wanted to find a concept for every single dessert I made and I will make, is the only way to let the customer feel emotions. For the flavour combinations I have quite a lot of favourites, but the best are passion fuit and milk chocolate , raspberry and greek yoghurt , mint and coconut , as well as coconut and saffron, pineapple and tonka beans and tomatoes and white chocolate which sound weird but i guarantee it’s really good!
I see through your photographs that you favor using herbs and vegetables in your desserts. Do you find that well received? I know here in America, it’s taking a little getting used to for our patrons sometimes!
In italy sometimes yes, sometimes no, obviously a gourmet will understand more the meanings of these ingredients , but most of the customers understand the concept and apprieciate the flavours.
Recently I’ve been to wd 50 and Alinea, and I guess that in the US you are starting to appreciate more herbs in desserts, but not everyone thinks in the same way.
Your stage at El Bulli really stands out of course, tell us about your time there. How did you find working for the Adria brothers? Was it what you’d hoped it would be? Can you give us some thoughts about what is new at El Bulli?
I probably spent the best time there , the way of working is really good and Ferran and Alberto are always in the kitchen with us to try , think, write down every single thing they make. It’s impressive the way they always research the new teqnique and the new combination, most of the people think elbulli = foams… but it’s not like that, in the whole season in pastry we made like 2 or 3 kinds of espumas and that’s it, the rest was normal and traditional pastry technique. I’m going there in august to say hello , they are wonderful people . This year Alberto will come up with his new book and he said that it’s gonna have the same effect the movie matrix had when it came out, so you will see a lot of new stuff…
Do you find that you concentrate mostly on plated desserts, or do you find time and opportunity for centerpieces of chocolate and sugar? Do you enjoy that part of pastry work? Do you compete in pastry competitions at all?
I find that I’m concentrated on plated desserts, but at the restaurant we always make sugar and chocolate centerpieces for anniversary and birthdays. We all enjoy that part of work, well no I never compete because I don’t feel that I want to be better or worsse than everyone else , I like to be simple ,to do what I like and follow my passions.
What are your plans for the future? Do you envision your own restaurant or Chocolate business?
First I will start something in Spain and I will let you know, that’s the early future for the long one I have to say that I really the loved Will Goldfarb restaurant formula. So I have this kind of vision in my head , it’s gonna be in some years but it’s always good to know where you want to go, no?
PANINO ALLA NUTELLA
recipe courtesy Luca Lacalamita, Pastry Chef, Osteria Francescana, Modena Italy
Milk chocolate cremeux
250 double cream
25 tremoline
240 jivara lactee vahlrona choc
Creamy nutella ganache
750 nutella
500 double cream
4 sheets gelatine
Raspberry and hazelnuts gallette
300 flour
160 icing sugar
100 freeze dried rapberry powder
275 butter
100 hazelnuts powder(toasted)
2 salt
Milk chocolate mousse
50gr yolks
35 sugar
100cream both the mousses need to spreaded one on top of each and
freezed,then cutted with a circle mould in order to put them
275 jivara lactee in the brioche
White chocolate mousse
200 milk
40 sugar
400 white chocolate
500 double cream
Brioche
750 flour
20 salt
135 milk
65 sugar
15 fresh yeast
286gr whole eggs
230 butter
Proove 2 h and then cook in steam pots 6 mins,freeze and then
fry them till golden brown
espresso ice cream
750 milk
100 cream
30 dextrose
4 ice cream stabiliser
100 sugar
70 nescafè
Hazelnuts praline
300 hazelnuts
150 sugar
Luca, that you very much for taking the time to talk with us. We wish you the best luck in your future!
If you’d like to contact Luca directly, you can email your thoughts or comments here.