WE HAVE A FUTURE IF NOT AFRAID TO CHANGE

Claudio Chinali is the Director of Eataly Istanbul (https://lnkd.in/dCGhwPNi), the executive chef of the related Terrazza Italia and a Turkish TV personality. He is one of the most talented chefs and culinary manager working outside of Italy and in this exclusive interview outlines his often out-of-the-box views on the Italian cuisine business in the world and in Turkey. The full interview in Melius newsletter here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/italian-cuisine-business-world-has-future-only-its-afraid-scarpato-y1dkf

“I'm not so positive about the future of Italian cuisine abroad… Italian cuisine only has a future if it's not afraid to update itself. If it remains tied only to old clichés or a tradition superficially copied abroad, it risks losing its strength compared to other gastronomic cultures”.

“Today, customers are primarily looking for an ‘experience… Storytelling is incredibly important today. People want to understand who you are, what you represent, and why you make certain choices. And then, of course, you have to be consistent”.

“More than talking about "authentic" ingredients, we need to talk about intellectual honesty. It's important to use ingredients that have a name and surname. It's clear that Italian products are important in Italian cuisine, but if we find an extraordinary local product, I see nothing wrong with using it”.

“Even with traditional recipes, I believe there's often too much of a rigid approach. Tradition is fundamental, but it shouldn't be seen as a mathematical formula to be followed to the last detail”.

“I honestly don't believe fine dining is particularly profitable, from a purely economic standpoint. However, I do believe it has enormous cultural and strategic value. A great Italian restaurant abroad can help the entire Italian system: producers, wines, tourism, and the country's image”.

“There's a lot of room today for intelligently crafted Italian steakhouses. Especially in highly "meat-eating" countries like Turkey”

“It's difficult to find qualified personnel almost anywhere, not just in Turkey. Especially in the more technical fields like pastry making and baking”.

“My plans are to continue working on the projects I'm developing here in Turkey. I'm very happy in this country and very grateful to Turkey. At the same time, I don't rule out the possibility of new international projects in the future”.