Cucinanuova - Because the Future Matters

Salvatore Sodano, Pasquale Trotta, and Francesco Sodano

Every generation needs a new revolution- Thomas Jefferson

 In a year where the pandemic has slowed down and, in numerous cases, crushed the dreams of many in the restaurant business in Italy, it is refreshing to see that there are those who are looking towards the future. No, the last 12 months have not been easy, but it also gave an opportunity for three young Campanian chefs to reflect on their profession, the definition of ‘Made in Italy’, and yes …the future.

Back in Jamuary, chefs FrancescoSodano, Salvatore Sodano, and Pasquale Trotta – officially announced the formation of a new association -Cucinanuova.  They did so by presenting a manifesto listing their intentions, opinions, and objectives. 

Here’s a taste of what they had to say.

"Cucinanuova" is proposed as a cultural movement, formed by chefs who like us, have had the opportunity to have cross-border experiences or study techniques and cultures outside the schemes related to traditional cuisine and who, taking advantage of all the accumulated knowledge, manage to identify themselves by a type of cuisine that, while remaining Italian in its roots, defines itself as unconventional.

We have witnessed great revolutions which have affected all European countries, although in different time spaces, where innovation has taken over knowing how to elevate traditional cuisine to the "next level" using modern techniques; see  for example the chemistry applied to cooking in Spain during the Adrià crusades in the 90s or the revolution of Nordic cuisine, which as a spokesperson for ancestral techniques applied to a modern food concept, has completely created from scratch a new line of cuisine admired all over the world. Not to forget the advent in recent years of Modern British Cuisine that has shifted the fulcrum of "traditional" English cuisine, super influenced by France and old colonies, on the concepts of "local" and "organic" finally starting to promote products belonging to the "common" kitchen and knowing how to take them to extreme levels.

 One of the big questions that Cucinanuova posed was ‘Are you ready for the revolution?.’  A question, that at the time, may have seemed shocking and/or offensive to some in the Italian food community.  There were those who initially felt that these young guys were throwing mud on their roots, their traditions.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future. Winston Churchill

More from the manifesto:

Too often our cuisine is highlighted with stereotypes that denigrate, in our opinion, both our culture and our desire to cook and it is for this reason that Cucinanuova aims to unite Chefs, agricultural producers, excellent breeders but also artisans, experts in communication who feel the need to make themselves heard, to get out of the box, who make the search for unique products and the deepening of both new and ancestral techniques their way of conceiving the new  Italian  catering.

The aim, therefore, is to create a food-network capable of stimulating a spirit of solidarity of the entire community and that manages to make the consumer perceive the concept of Cucinanuova using professionals who, through their experiences, can shed light on what is the entire supply chain of organization of a new way of cooking.

 

When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness. Alexis de Tocqueville

 

The avatars of some of the chefs of Cucinanuova.  The chefs decided to block out their eyes, making them practically faceless.  A decision to create unity and also focus on another one of their themes -  build ideas, not ego.

A couple of months has passed and the Cucinanuova community has grown, now boasting 42 Italian chefs.  I decided to speak to founders, Salvatore Sodano and Pasquale Trotta.

* It seems that since the ‘launch’ of Cucinanuova, there has been a lot of positive feedback, particularly from young chefs/cooks.  Did you expect such a ‘quick’ reaction?

Sodano: Truth is that I was expecting a nice reaction, but I was literally overwhelmed by the amount of people that demonstrate an interest in a cause like this. It made me proud, a lot, seeing young chef fascinated by the topics that we were touching and also older chefs too intrigued by the concept to create a solid community for this category.

Trotta: I expected a quick reaction because I was aware of the validity of the project. Many young Italian chefs feel the need and the desire to have a cultural belonging that was being lost, we have only helped them.

* I’ve noticed that you have begun a series of Wednesday night live interviews.  How important is social media to your ‘mission’?

Trotta: Social media nowadays, especially in this historical moment is fundamental. To date, there is no possibility to meet or organize meetings so without this tool Cucinanuova would not have been born.

Sodano: I believe that social media has become the essence of information nowadays. The fact that it is so direct and can reach millions of people at the same time for me represents the apotheosis of the concept of information. Since the main focus of Cucinanuova is about the possibility to let people know what is the true essence of a gourmet restaurant, the organization, the incredible research for ingredients and the support for the producers that help us doing our job  I’m truly fond that social media has a vital importance for our cause.

*You have also had the opportunity to go ‘on the road’.  Could you tell me something about your outings?

Sodano: One of the aspect of Cucinanuova that make me proud is that we are willing to create a solid community between chefs, so we organized a series of Pop Up dinner called “Cucinanuova in movimento” that give us the possibility to improve first of all the relation between chefs that sometimes doesn’t t know themselves in person (in this way our community grows stronger) and the other important aspect is that in time like this, where we are so limited in the restaurant business, we give the possibility to create a little hype and hopefully a nice dinner for the customers.

 Since we believe that Cucinanuova has a important impact on a social profile as well, we were humbled to participate to the Monday lunch for homeless people organized by the association Made in Cloister. I believe this is an harsh time for everyone, but especially for people that doesn’t t have the luck to have a family or a house to stay. So helping Chef Sabrina Russo to do something good for people that are less lucky than us made ma even more satisfied that I chose this job.

Chefs Salvatore Sodano, Sabrina Russo, Francesco Sodano and Pasquale Trotta

Trotta: I had the honor and the pleasure of dedicating some of my time to help the Made in Cloister Foundation in Naples. In addition to the nice gesture of helping someone, it helped me even more by not complaining about my current situation, even if it is not optimal.

(Pictures by Chef Sabrina Russo)

*What are the plans for Cucinanuova in the immediate future?

Trotta: What we aim to do with Cucinanuova in the near future is certainly to increase our network with people who embrace our philosophy. We continuously say, it is not a question of cuisine but a question of a way of thinking. We will expand "Cucinanuova on the Road" by organizing dinners with partners and in 2022, hoping for better times, organizing a mega event Cucinanuova with all the chefs.

Sodano: Unfortunately, this period does not allow us to organize activities that involve people from an operational point of view but we will continue our job with live streams, introducing the chefs and producers that joined Cucinanuova’s cause from behind the scenes we will continue to organize surprises for next year!!

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. John F. Kennedy