OUT OF PLACE
On the occasion of the forthcoming 25th anniversary of Casa Olearia Taggiasca (1995-2020) I decided to write a book to celebrate, ironically and unconventionally, this tasty occasion.
Who knows me well is aware that I have always been an “out-of-the-box” soul, distant form the clichés, so, for this book too, written four-hands with Alessandro Maria Ferreri, I took a cue from an original idea I’d been meditating on for a while.
It is an open secret that, nowadays, the chef career has become an incredibly sought-after profession.
Those who, like us, have been behind the scenes, hand in hand with the greatest chefs in the world, from their very beginnings to the achievement of their third Michelin star, know that the fine cuisine requires considerable sacrifices, commitment and, above all, deep passion.
Not only supporters, but also friends with these brilliant and talented professionals, we have frequently had the honor to share moments of their private life and, it was precisely during one of these cheerful occasions that, between a laugh and another, we asked them: “What would you make for breakfast if your girlfriend slept over?”
We expected the most elaborate answer, yet, we were surprised to hear how simple the meals imagined by these chefs for their personal life were: closely tied to childhood memories and prepared just like every mum does every day.
Hence the idea to place, ironically, these starred-stars in an out-of-place scenario, far from their comfort zone. We imagined an odd and unusual tailor-made situation to challenge their abilities in light of a potential unfitness or as a sort of poetic justice.
A mind-blowing experience came out of it: we gathered 15 of our friend-chefs and they immediately fell in love with our project, everyone tied by an underlying thread: the deep devotion for the extra virgin olive oil, the common passion which brought us together in the first place.
From Tokyo to New York, from Paris to Dubai, from Modena to London and Bangkok, a team of photographers, stylists and chefs assisted us in a real tour de force of which this book is the journal.
Everything, completely “OUT OF PLACE”, which has become the title of the book, edited by MONDADORI, which will be available both in Italian and English from October 21st2019.
Hope you’ll enjoy the reading! It has been an unforgettable experience for us and I express all my gratitude to my friend-chefs, without which, this project would have just remained an idea
