Michelin star chef Luca Mastomattei of Italy has been in Kenya for several weeks, bringing his style of Italian taste and passing on skills to emerging chefs.
Coming to Kenya has been an opportunity, said Mastomattei, a good challenge, he said, to combine traditional ways of Italian cooking with ingredients available locally.
A review of some of the menus he has crafted while here includes items such as spinach, squash, beetroot, lamb and Kenyan crab. “I’m happy about the local products,” said Mastomattei.
A firm believer that good training is essential for young chefs, Mastomattei has spent time in recent days with students at the Utalii College, focusing on foundational principles of Italian cooking and understanding key ingredients.
“We did an olive oil tasting to explain the different kinds of olive oil, how to use them and the right cooking temperatures," said Mastomattei.
While in Kenya, he has worked on various flour preparations to get the right consistency for the different focaccia and panini bread recipes he planned to bake.
With fresh vegetables from a farm in Baringo, he created an Italian-style pickle soaked in wine vinegar irrigation, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Pickled vegetables stored in jars, he explained, can last for months.
During the “Italian Cuisine of the World” week in Kenya, a global project of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote Italian food and wine traditions, Mastomattei designed special menus and wine talks at various venues.
He encourages food lovers to seek genuine ingredients and dishes to get the authentic Italian experience. Being a widely known cuisine, he noted that many products may be labelled Italian but are not from Italy or manufactured true to the recipes.
The non-professional masterclasses he offered at the Vanguard Lounge were a wonderful opportunity to learn about making risotto, a classic Italian rice dish with a thick, creamy texture.
Michelin star chef Luca Mastomattei of Italy’s green burrito and anchovies risotto. PHOTO | POOL
We learned that a green puree made from fresh spinach leaves, parsley and basil can be used as a base sauce for a variety of dishes such as green risotto, salad dressing or green tortellini pasta.
While preparing the pumpkin and parmesan Tortelli, Mastomattei explained how it is better to roast than blend pumpkins for a pasta filling instead of stewing the pumpkins because roasting maintains an ideal thicker texture.
He described the special qualities he noticed and liked about local ingredients such as the nutty taste of squash or freshness of year-round vegetables.
His food principles focus on using fresh, quality ingredients, keeping recipes simple, having “well-being with taste and keeping low wastage.”
Sustainability in cooking is never far from mind, even when preparing a fine dining menu like the meal at the Capital Club where each of the four courses was paired with a different Italian wine. His love of seafood came through in dishes such as grilled squid peas and cannoli prawns.
Born in Pescara city on the Adriatic Sea, Mastomattei, 40, trained at a hotel school before moving to the United Kingdom to improve his English knowledge. There he trained under ‘food philosopher’ and culinary guru, Chef Terry Laybourne.
Eventually, he opened Caffé Vivo- an Italian restaurant in the city of New Castle which was listed in the prestigious Michelin Guide after just eight months of existence.
Several years of working outside of Italy exposed him to different culinary cultures and offered opportunities to perfect his technique.
When he returned home to Italy, Mastomatti took charge of running the family restaurant called Pescion which specialises in seafood. Pescion was also listed in the Michelin Guide.
Michelin star chef Luca Mastomattei of Italy’s lamb porchetta with turnip almond. PHOTO | POOL
During the Covid pandemic which shut down restaurants for many months, Mastomattei changed paths in his career to work as a global food consultant and, since 2021, as an Ambassador of Taste in the World.
This is an association of 150 ambassador chefs recognised globally for their excellence in Italian culinary art.
The affiliation has enabled him to engage in his love of travelling the world and bringing his cooking skills to companies and hotels.
