Niko Romito: Interview with a man who was destined to be a 3 Michelin star chef
To begin with, Niko Romito is not a simple chef: coming from Italian region of Abruzzo, he, having quit his studies in economy, has accidentally “reinvented” himself into a chef due to the family situation… and today Niko is one of the most well-known and titled chefs of the planet.
He has never frequented the special chef’s school or academy and never worked with such important figures in gastronomy as Alain Ducasse, for instance. He is completely “autodidatta” ( self-taught) as it is said in Italian - and has never had any special influence from some mentors, maybe, that’s why his cuisine remain so that pure, uncontaminated and...very personal.
At the time of the university studies in Rome, why have you decided to quit all, to come back to Castel di Sangro where you were born and after the death of your dad to take on the family business? Wasn’t it difficult to radically change your life path?
Yes and no. When I made the decision, I consciously made it even if at the beginning I wondered if this choice was made out of a sense of responsibility or I was doing it because this career of the chef and managing the restaurant could give me satisfaction.
Today I can say that I made this choice because this world fascinated me, otherwise I could stop there and not continue doing what I did, so it was the right choice, the choice that was born from within, very irrational and I could not give an explanation because I took it, I didn't know anything about this world.
Let's say that your path was built by walking it?
Yes, by walking and knowing it. And the more I went on, the more this world was discovered, because I knew it better. And then, over time, work for me became more and more fascinating because behind the food there is the world of stories, cultures and territory, of well-being and economy. This also made me stop in Castel di Sangro, after taking the 2 star still in ex-location, despite the fact that I could go everywhere, but I didn't think of changing the territory in the least. On the contrary: I thought of building something that could stronger justify our path and increase the ability to attract attention.
But, at the age of 2526, when you decided to return to Castel di Sangro, being young, didn't you want to leave abroad?
I think I did very well not to do the experiences outside, because maybe those could change my cooking ideas. Today, I think that the lack of foreign influences has allowed me to have my own style, well defined.
I think my path being so difficult and so "isolated" has left me uncontaminated by other ideas and today it’s my added value.
Instead, the most complicated thing in the kitchen in your opinion what would it be?
The most complicated thing is identity. Own style, research - because these can be read easily. Teaching in the Academy (in the structure of Niko’s restaurant and hotel there is also the Academy that prepares students for working in gastronomic world) and talking to young people I often say that I looking for own gastronomic language and being able to create your own style - are the most difficult things in the world. Then, contaminations are welcome, but being filtered with your own head, because today you can see so many "copy-paste" around.
What would you like to communicate through your dishes?
Definitely an Italian identity.
Not the one of your region Abruzzo?
No. Abruzzo is there, in thought, in essentiality, in the desire to remain uncontaminated in its demonstration, but my cuisine is Italian, it is linked to Abruzzo because I am Abruzzese, but not because it is traditional. Plus, being outside the big cities, my style of cooking is very thoughtful. It is a cuisine of reasoning, not of appearance. My kitchen must be understood, it must be considered.
I am not looking for immediate applause - better the one which comes after time. I like to think that everything is cultivated and consolidated over time.
What qualities of your character, in your opinion, have allowed you to achieve your goals?
Stubbornness, obsession with learning and always seeking perfection and my ideal, courage, vision. Thanks to the last, at the time, when there was still nothing here, I already had the idea of what you see today and above all I well imagined the Academy how shall it be.
Have you ever had doubts? How do you take them off?
I always have them. Doubts make you grow even if they hurt. Always being in discussion and having doubts means trying not to be superficial and going to the depth of any choice. The anxiety to improve and doubts have helped humanity.
Today, when you are proposing the celebration 20years menu of Reale, I would like to understand how much and how have you change over these years?
Surely, I am more concrete, I propose much more "direct" cuisine, I have more courage, I have more security and awareness.
And my cuisine brings my personal growth: what you eat on your plate - it's me. My kitchen - is Niko Romito himself. Clear, direct, who doesn't want to hide anything.
Who is Reale's best customer?
A judge. Client who comes to me for 16 years, once a week. He is the best but better to say - the customer I am most attached to, because he knows me very well, loves my cuisine and I can discuss new dishes with him. And he’s the independent client, not a critic.
Speaking of you as a simple person, like all of us ... What does Niko Romito do during the weekend?
With 2 free days in "normal" times I would stay at home, because normally I travel a lot and sometimes I want to quietly stay in the place where I live in.
And on the weekend, what do you cook?
Nothing! I really don't like cooking at home, because I always do it in my life. In this case I prefer to eat outside. And then, I appreciate very simple things: wine, some bread with olive oil, a slice of prosciutto, - it doesn't take much to make me happy.
The author Aline Borghese is an international journalist and critic of haute cuisine.
She is a graduate of the culinary schools of the Ritz Escoffier, Ecole de cuisine Alain Ducasse, La Cucina Italiana. Champagne and wine sommelier, cocktail enthusiast, gastronomic consultant and simply Bohémienne Affamée.
