The star of Locanda Don Serafino, Ragusa

The adventure of Vincenzo Candiano, currently chef of the Locanda Don Serafino restaurant in Ragusa, begins with a sign of destiny. An opportunity that in the summer of '93, launch the young Vincenzo to start a career and life that fill him with satisfaction. At the time Vincenzo Candiano is not even an adult, or rather to tell the truth has just finished high school, and during that summer, waiting for the inclusion at the Art Institute of Ragusa, decides to use its three-month holiday in an occupation common to many students: in a pizza restaurant near the house begins the "internship" with humble activities (without taking anything away) as that of a dishwasher, waiter, and then at the stoves. Here sparks: over the summer, the future star chef enrolled at the hotel school. From here begins his training to put together the first pieces of his beautiful mosaic. After the training is a necessary the experience: Vincenzo has been lucky enough to find a good gym where exercise, a restaurant, still in the Ragusa area, which at the time (about ten years ago) stand out as the only Gourmet restaurant in the area. At the end of this year, before expound the wings at the Locanda Don Serafino learns basic teachings for quality cuisine. Not only the aesthetic care of presentation of the dish, but, above all, a great attention to the choice of raw material, pointing to the use of local products, such as carob or tenerumi (tenderness of summer squash) and a traditional cuisine reviewed throw modern concepts. For the past eight years at the Locanda Don Serafino, chef Vincenzo has staked, has grown along with the restaurant and now is "a great driver of a beautiful race car". What is the more direct language through which a chef can communicates if not his dishes? I asked Vincenzo Candiano to explain one of his most curious – present in the menu – to know it better: "Raw Arancino veal crusted in saffron risotto, stuffed with buffalo stracciatella. The dish is a deconstruction of the arancino: same shape, but it is not fried and the ingredients vary from that tradition. In the filling the rice is replaced with a tartar of raw meat, tomato here is raw and cubed, the mozzarella cheese is local; while the breading is not made up of bread crumbs but from amazing rice grains obtained from a dried and then shake. In the eyes of a true gourmet, the classic Arancino is only a shadow, a reminiscence that resurfaces with this brilliant creation. www.locandadonserafino.it