TERRY GIACOMELLO’S CREATIVE INK(IOSTRO)
Terry Giacomello is the chef of Inkiostro, a restaurant located in the city of Parma and recipient of a Michelin star. His philosophy revolves around two keywords: cutting-edge cuisine and experimentation. He is, after all, a “disciple” of Ferran Adrià ...
As a proper Adrià disciple, the chef has carried on a gastronomic vision which is inevitably tinted by the experience at El Bulli, a historic Catalan restaurant which, between the mid-90s and
2011, rewrote the rules of contemporary cuisine.
A few days after the reopening of his Inkiostro restaurant, we had the opportunity of interviewing chef Giacomello, a member of the Italian association Ambasciatori del Gusto.
We spoke with him about the initiatives implemented immediately after the reopening of the restaurant, as well as about the elaborate cuisine idea born and flourishing here. There was, of course, a brief trip down memory lane about his experience at El Bulli under the command of one of the greatest chefs of modern times.
Terry, as an entrepreneur and a restaurateur, how have you dealt with the lockdown period?
Despite everything, I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with my family. It’s something very rare for those of us that work in this field, yet it’s very important to keep the people we care about close to us, and maintain a healthy and stable relationship with them.
Have you had the opportunity to think about new dishes or did you just choose to switch off?
I’ve relaxed, though I’ve also had the opportunity to think about how to develop new ideas for the summer season menu.
How was the customer response after the reopening?
We fortunately got off to a good start. During the weekdays we’ve had an average of 6-7 tables per shift and we’ve been booked solid on the weekends. Despite our optimism we didn’t really think it could’ve been possible. We had more or less the same numbers even before the lockdown, and most of the people that come here (even from afar) prefer the tasting menu as it is more intriguing and capable of making you live the experience, and our idea of cooking, at its fullest.
“We use unusual ingredients, as well as techniques, which are unknown to most people or in any event used very little; at times we may also get the customer involved in order to make him feel immersed in the experience. In many cases all of this creates a certain degree of curiosity”.
The tasting menu you offer is particularly extensive. Where did the idea of creating a 19-course journey come from?
Given my work experiences I’ve always thought that in this type of restaurant it would be more advisable to focus on this type of offering. Our primary duty is to make sure the diner is entertained, and to do this we have to make the customer feel emotions that we hope will remain engraved in their mind. We use unusual ingredients, as well as techniques, which are unknown to most people or in any event used very little; at times we may also get the customer involved in order to make him feel immersed in the experience. In many cases all of this creates a certain degree of curiosity, and people are more prone to choosing this type of experience.
Considering the fact that these are highly technical propositions, how much work did it take, and how long did it take you to come up with this sort of menu?
To develop this menu it has taken us, together with the boys in the kitchen, about 9 months of trials and experiments. We also made use of several connections to biologists, botanists and laboratory technicians of labs where we go and try things out in order to further develop our ideas.
In your opinion, by offering dishes which are too complex or highly technical, does one run the risk that the customer may not understand the idea behind the dish itself?
The customers who visit our restaurant are already acquainted with our cuisine, and the staff we have on the floor is highly trained and capable of conveying our philosophy. In any event, as it often happens everywhere around the world, I believe it is very difficult to please everyone.
Have you ever thought of getting rid of the main menu and just concentrating on the tasting menu?
Yes, also because if you wish to fully enjoy the gastronomic experience the tasting menu is the recommendation.
“Humility and hard work always pay off in the end. Never feel as if you’ve arrived because today you could learn something from just about anyone who works or collaborates with you”.