Travelers Guide To Mexico (TGTM): When do you integrate experience and inspiration?
Marco Carboni (MC): The kitchen is a passion that as an Italian I have in my blood. First I was a musician, then sommelier and life took me to work in restaurants like Bistro Aix in London, with Lynn Sanders; In two Michelin stars, Alkimia in Barcelona, And in “the best restaurant in the world”, the Osteria Francescana with Massimo Bottura, in Modena, Italy, where I came from. In London I worked with chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, then I was a consultant at the NGO Slow Food, but it was time to expand my horizons.
TGTM: How is it that after cooking in Italy and London, you decide to settle in Mexico?
MC: My wife Carmen is Mexican, we organized a series of pop up dinners. Each time we worked with different ingredients so the food became the means for the diners to meet each other at a large table. I tried a pizza food truck for a while but did not happen much and in October 2016, together with my friend Roberto, we started to plan the Italian restaurant that we are about to open.
TGTM: Tell us about Sartoria
MC: Sartoria means Tailoring in Italian. He will specialize in Italian cuisine influenced by Mexican ingredients.We share the concept of “handmade and made-to-measure” with tailors, by cutting and preparing fresh pasta, creating from scratch, from the canvas, giving it color, shape, texture. A kitchen made with calm, with passion, with the wisdom of the “nonas”, within a warm but elegant, minimalist and dynamic atmosphere of hostelry. We hope to open at the end of June in Orizaba 42, almost corner with Rio de Janeiro, in colonia Roma.
Photo: Sartoria
TGTM: How will your philosophy be reflected in this new restaurant?
MC: I think it is very important to embrace the tradition while taking into account the constant evolution of the recipes. Giving them a contemporary touch means increasing the importance of the ingredients, being a product kitchen, letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Italian cuisine is fresh, balanced between color and flavor, no taste goes on top of the other. My kitchen has more vibration, more product, less ingredients in the dish to stand out.
TGTM: In your time in Mexico City, how did you perceive the gastronomic scene?
MC: I would like to see more of the diversity that Mexico has as a country, but I believe that CDMX has developed a lot in contemporary Mexican cuisine with identity and creativity. I think of Elena Reygadas, Enrique Olvera, Jorge Vallejo and all those people who develop traditional Mexican dishes giving them a contemporary touch or discover recipes of traditional cultures. It is important not to lose the character of each site; For example, a little place that is not perfect but has an incredible recipe, should not give its essence to become a trend. The danger of this tendency is that everything becomes too gourmet, that is, ask for some tacos and receive a plate adorned with avocado droplets and a few leaves around, when you only wanted a taco.
Contact
Sartoria
Orizaba 42, Roma Norte, Mexico City.
restaurantesartoria.mx
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