Alessandro Borghese’s life, by his own admission, is a “mixture” of commitments and experiences, among which the chef navigates like a grandmaster, without ever losing his smile. Among the new edition Alessandro Borghese 4 restaurants – Sky Original production created by Banijay Italia aired from 3 September every Sunday primetime on Sky Uno and streaming NOW – recordings of new episodes Celebrity Chefs which we will see from October 2 for the first time on TV8 from Monday to Friday at 19.10 and the management of its restaurants – AB – The luxury of simplicity Milan and Venice, the latter with a new temporary exhibition called Up therewith beautiful sculptures by artist Michelangelo Galliani, Alessandro Borghese seems to have a busier agenda than the head of state, but he doesn’t seem to be worried about it: “I’m always on the move, my vacation is already over.”– he explains to me, saying that he is happy that he was able to spend the summer with his wife Vilma Oliverio and daughters Alexandra and Arizona in Salento, choosing the right time to “load up with buckshot”.
Also counting repetitions 4 restaurants and from Celebrity Chefs on TV8 it seems that you are on air all year round: what impact does this have on you?
“It makes me very happy, I often find it with young people and families who tell me they have dinner with me because they don’t miss an episode.”
Do you happen to see each other again?
“Reruns allow me to see Alessandro, who often has an accordion effect that expands and contracts, not to mention the fact that I now also have a white goatee. Besides everything, I enjoy seeing myself, sometimes digging up recipes from old publications 4 restaurants to inspire me.”
Typical recipes?
“I picked up the historical recipe for pizzoccheri when I went to Valtellina: I learned it there. Thanks to the program, over the years I have acquired thousands of suppliers with whom I continue to work, from oysters from the Po Delta onwards. Our kitchen is full of miracles and always gives us so much.”
Returning to the program, do you also notice that restaurateurs are becoming more and more angry?
“Murder. I’ve met some very aggressive people this year, so much so that we often can’t fit everything into an episode. They all come in full of enthusiasm, but the initial good mood usually lasts for a day because then they start confusing each other “All the way to the final table. For my part, I try to be the peacemaker, the one who softens the tone at the table during the five days of taping.”
As a fan of the program, I remember from memory that in the historical episode there were a lot of zeros flying around Calabria.
“Leaving aside the fact that I have a Calabrian wife, I can say that in this new season I returned to Calabria by popular demand: at this time the rivals expressed themselves in different tones, despite the fact that they were always very energetic.”
Are there no zeros in the new series?
“We were, don’t worry. We Italians love to tease ourselves. Especially when it comes to food, which excites us like football.”
Is there anything in the culinary world that you shouldn’t joke about?
“The great classics have their own, very specific liturgy. Here everyone has their own tricks and variations, but it is obvious that there is a correct gastronomic language: from spaghetti with tomatoes to cappelletto in broth, from pizzoccheri to certain traditional dishes that need to be prepared in a certain way, and that’s it. There’s no need to fuss too much in the kitchen: for example, I can’t stand carbonara with seafood. Carbonara is something else, we don’t call it that.”
What’s easier: making a mistake in preparing pasta or serving dessert with crumbly cream?
“It’s more forgivable to cook pasta, but it’s less forgivable to add salt to the water incorrectly. I’m a fan of al dente pasta, but one thing to remember is that we as chefs are not supposed to teach diners how to eat, only how to prepare the food. If you want to drink warm red wine with sea bass, it’s up to you, I can only advise you that it goes better with fresh white wine. But I don’t decide.”
What are the risks when you finish recording 4 restaurants?
“Let restaurateurs raise prices, trying to be gargarozzoni, as they say in Rome. This will harm the quality and that is why we must be careful to manage the restaurant well after participating.”
Alessandro Borghese in Bassano del Grappa